Marlyn Williams

Marlyn Earl Williams (born (1993-01-09)9 January 1993) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with the Falcons.^[1] His regular position is lock.

Rugby career

2010–2011 : Boland Cavaliers

Williams was born in Paarl and represented the Boland Cavaliers at Under-18 and Under-19 level; he was included in their squad for the Under-18 Academy Week in 2010,^[2] and in the Under-19 squad for the 2011 Under-19 Provincial Championship, scoring one try against Griffons U19.^[3]

2012–2013 : Border Bulldogs

He moved to East London for the 2012 season, representing the Border U19 team in Group B of the 2012 Under-19 Provincial Championship, again contributing a single try in their match against Griquas U19.^[4] He made ten appearances for the Border U21 team in the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship, scoring a try in their match against Western Province U21^[5] in a disappointing season for a Border team that lost all twelve of their matches in Group A of the championship.^[6] They had to play in a relegation play-off match to retain their spot in Group A, and did so with a 23–21 victory over Eastern Province U21, with a Williams try in the 13th minute of the match proving decisive in the result.^[7]

2014–present : Falcons

For the 2014 season, Williams moved to Gauteng to join the Falcons. He was included in their squad for the 2014 Vodacom Cup and made his first class debut by playing off the bench in their 6–26 defeat to the Pumas in the opening match of the competition.^[8] After another appearance as a replacement against near-neighbours the Golden Lions in their next match,^[9] he made his starting debut the following week against a Leopards XV.^[10] He remained in the starting line-up for the remainder of the competition, making a total of seven appearances as the Falcons finished second-bottom in the Northern Section of the competition with a solitary win.^[11] He remained in the starting line-up for the Currie Cup qualification series that kicked off a couple of months later. He made his Currie Cup debut against the Leopards^[12] and started three more of their matches as the Falcons finished of sixth position^[13] to qualify for the First Division. Williams also scored his first senior try during this competition, in the final minute of a 52–34 victory over the SWD Eagles in George.^[14] Williams played in all of their matches in the First Division, helping them secure three wins during the regular season to finish in fourth position to secure the final semi-final berth.^[15] He played off the bench in their semi-final match as the Falcons caused an upset, beating the top-of-the-log Leopards 31–24 in Potchefstroom.^[16] He also came on as a replacement in the final, but his side fell just short, losing 21–23 to the Griffons in Welkom.^[17]

Williams featured in all seven of the Falcons' matches in the 2015 Vodacom Cup, as the team improved on their 2014 performance by winning three of their matches, but still missed out on the play-offs after finishing in fifth position.^[18] Another three wins followed in the 2015 Currie Cup qualification series, which also saw Williams score the second try of his career in a 16–29 defeat against former side the Boland Cavaliers.^[19] A third-placed finish^[20] meant the Falcons qualified for the First Division again, with Williams only featuring once during the regular season in their final match against the Leopards.^[21] The team finished in fourth spot, which meant they met the same opposition a week later in the semi-finals. Williams came on as a replacement just after the hour mark, but could not help them emulate their 2015 semi-final success over the Leopards, with the side from Potchefstroom winning 29–17.^[22]

Williams started thirteen of their fourteen matches in an expanded 2016 Currie Cup qualification series – which replaced the defunct Vodacom Cup – and scored tries in a 66–5 victory over Namibian side the Welwitschias^[23] and a 31–59 defeat to Western Province.^[24]

References