Jason Williams

Former Christchurch junior lived in Australia from the age of 15 and was signed by Wests in 1987. Williams then spent two seasons in Easts' lower grades before being relegated to the Metropolitan Cup competition with Guildford. His subsequent climb back to the NZ Test team, and his development as an attacking winger with three clubs, is one of the success stories of the 1990s. Souths first threw Williams a lifeline in 1991 and his good club form saw him selected for the first two Tests of the Trans Tasman series in Australia. Linking with C’bury in 1992, he continued his impressive form on the flank and took his Test tally to 7 following NZ's tour of England and France. Williams scored a memorable intercept try in the 1994 grand final but it was not enough to stem the flood of Raiders' points. Following C’bury’s 17-4 win over Manly in the 1995 grand final, Williams joined fellow Super League club Penrith. There, he was a consistent try-scorer bringing much-needed experience in his three seasons with a young Panthers outfit.