Shane Williams is one of the most recognisable faces in Welsh rugby and now finds himself giving back to the game Warren Gatland(Image: PA Wire)

Wales legend Shane Williams has opened up on life after rugby — and the infamous story of how he once drunkenly offered Warren Gatland out for a fight.

A three-time Lions tourist, Williams won 87 caps for Wales and scored a record 58 tries for his country, securing two Six Nations Grand Slams along the way. He was also named World Player of the Year in 2008. For the Ospreys, of course, he was a central figure during their most successful era, winning two Celtic League titles and the EDF Energy Cup.

His dazzling footwork and ability to turn games made him one of the sport’s most feared wingers, adored by Welsh fans and respected across the rugby world. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.

The former wing is now coaching at grassroots level, helping out at his son’s under-16s side, Amman United, as well as at Ysgol Dyffryn Amman. But the 48-year-old has also been looking back on his glittering career and one of its most surprising tales.

Speaking on this week’s episode of The Overlap Rugby, Williams recalled how Gatland’s arrival as Wales head coach in 2008 proved a turning point, but also led to an awkward encounter after that famous opening win over England at Twickenham.

“The funny thing was with Gats, the first Six Nations game we had was against England in 2008. Gats said if we beat England, we are going to win the Grand Slam,” Williams explained.

“We went up to Twickenham, won the game and we were like, ‘this guy is a genius!’ It wasn’t six months ago we were losing to Fiji in the World Cup.

“After the game, Gats loves a beer, the social side, he told us to have a beer. Someone put some cans on the bus and I had drunk far too much beer by the time we got back to Cardiff.

“The next morning Shanks [Tom Shanklin] says to me, ‘Good night last night, Shane? … I just wondered if you remembered offering Warren Gatland out for a fight?’ I had no recollection of this.

“I went up and spoke to Gats and told him I was really sorry. Gats is a happy-go-lucky guy and he said, ‘What are we talking about, Shane?’ … Then as he showed me out, he said, ‘But Shane, if you call me a fat, useless, Kiwi p***k again, you’re not going to play for Wales!’”

Williams laughed as he retold the story, calling Gatland a “top guy” who loved the joke and saw no malice in it. “It kind of broke the ice with us really,” he said.

Williams remains one of the greatest players to ever pull on a Wales jersey. Standing at just 5ft 7in, he defied the odds to become a giant of the international game.

(Image: Ben Evans/Huw Evans Agency)

Now, more than a decade since his final Wales appearance in 2011, Williams is deeply rooted in grassroots rugby. He coaches his son’s Amman United U16s team as well as youngsters at Ysgol Dyffryn Amman, the same school he once attended.

“My son is 16, so I coach the youth side and also the school side,” Williams, whose son last year scored an epic try which was caught on video, said. “At first he didn’t want me around. He told me, ‘Dad, you’ve had your time, this is mine!’

“But when he got to the age where he knew he needed to improve, he started asking me about the game. It’s great — coaching at that level, I can see I’m making a difference.”

Despite his success and experience, Williams insists he has no desire to pursue a professional coaching career. “Does that mean I want to go and coach the Ospreys or Wales eventually? Probably not. I don’t think I’ve got that in me or that personality,” he said. “I wouldn’t offer too much more than these coaches anyway.”

For now, Wales’ record try scorer is happy working at school and club level, passing on his knowledge to the next generation — while still laughing about the time he very nearly squared up to one of Welsh rugby’s greatest coaches.