Around the Touchline Feature:

 



 
Walk behind the posts at the road end of The Moors Rugby Ground in Fishguard and it is likely that you will see a tall, athletic-looking fellow who is resplendent in his leisure shorts and working boots, often with a mop of curly hair unless he’s had his locks shorn off, and a big smile.
 
You might also hear a few well-chosen words of encouragement to the current crop of Fishguard & Goodwick players or some well-chosen words of advice for the referee if he thinks The Seagulls are being hard-done by. Standing nearby could well be his older brother Rhys and father Phil, both former Seagulls themselves,
 
Carrying on the family tradition today is Randall’s son Taine, who has played junior rugby at The Moors through to under 16 from his start as an under seven player who started out as outside half and is now a keen back rower like his dad.
 

A real character – on and off the field

 
That man is Randall Williams, a genuine rugby character if ever there was one, and someone who started out in youth and senior rugby at Fishguard as serving Whitland well and gaining terrific experience over three years in New Zealand, but more f that later.
 
Outside of his rugby, Randall is a busy farmer just outside the town at his Parc y Morfa Farm, where his rich milk is sold around the town and as far afield as The Vale training headquarters of the Welsh Rugby Union, where his milk and milk shakes are well received by players and staff alike.
 
As well as his large dairy herd his other agricultural interest is breeding and showing his small herd of pedigree British (Belgian) Blue cattle at venues like the Pembrokeshire County Show.
 

Time spent in ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’ – and a short stint With Wasps A

 
Randall started out in rugby as a junior at Fishguard and after moving into youth he had one full season at Llanelli and then stayed for long spells in New Zealand as he started out with Houraki North as an under 21 and then joined Thames Valley, where he gained experience of provincial rugby, which he ready admits was ‘very fast and very physical’!
 
His wife Christy hails from New Zealand and has always given him and Taine every support and his other experience outside this country came when a former team mate of his from New Zealand gave him an unexpected call as a coach with The Wasps in the English set-up and asked if he could help out the Wasps’ A team for a month.
 
“I agreed straight away,” admitted Randall, “and we played some strong teams on Monday evenings who had international players coming back to fitness, like The Harlequins.
 
“I remember playing for Whitland on a Saturday and got a real kicking from the Merthyr forwards and then I was off to play for The Wasps and in the changing room some of their players who saw the state of my back couldn’t believe it!”
 

A Borderer for over a decade

 
At that time Randall was a regular in the Whitland first XV for 11 years, four of them as captain and he helped The Borderers win a couple of KO Cup Finals as well as playing at a high level in the National League set-up.
 
“I was very lucky to play at No 8 in a very strong side with back rowers of the quality of Phil Morgan, Johnny Kaloi, Rob Norton, Derek and Celt Thomas but then I sustained a neck injury and with my involvement on the farm increasing I knew it was time to call it a day.
 

Great times as a coach at Fishguard & Crymych

 
“I had a few games back at Fishguard but then coached them for four years and the undoubted highlight came when we became the first Pembrokeshire Club to play in a national final at the Principality Stadium and although we lost to a very rugged Wattstown it was a fantastic day out where the whole of Fishguard and Goodwick seemed to be there in our colours.
 
“After that I joined Crymych as their head coach and had four years there which were great because they are such a wonderful club for their community – but then Covid 19 came along and I decided to stand down – but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”



 

And finally . . .

 
But that still wasn’t the end of Randall’s coaching because by then he was already involved with coaching Taine’s age group back at The Moors, ably assisted by Steve Jenkins.

“They are a smashing group of youngsters and despite not having a big squad we play every game and win some and lose some.
 
“We have good support from parents and it is a nice way to put something back into a game that has been good to me. I’ve also been roped some times to sit on the replacement’s bench for the first team and although I must be mad I still enjoy it!”
 
That is a typical statement from Randall Williams but we at PembrokeshieSport.co.uk can say with certainty that he has also been very good for local rugby – and we are always delighted to see him for a chat on the touchline whenever we visit The Moors!