BEAR WILLIAMS

CORNISH PIRATES BACK ROW

Grappling with the challenges of playing back row in the Championship might come a little more naturally to Bear Williams as a former two-time national junior champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Sports mad as a mini at Pulborough RFC in Sussex, the new recruit at Cornish Pirates this summer ditched the martial art at the age of 12 to pursue his rugby career in the academy at Harlequins.

And while he was not considered for a place in the reigning Premiership champion’s U18s programme, he remained a teammate of current Harlequins crop Hugh Tizard, Oscar Beard and Will Trenholm during his time at Cranleigh School.

“I was in the Quins academy from 13 to 15 and was then released,” Williams, 20, told TRP. “For me, that time was a big wake-up call and not a chance to throw the towel in. I decided I just wanted to work even harder; I may have missed out on getting into the U18s but I didn’t want to give up my dream of playing professional rugby. From that point Cranleigh became the place I put my hard work into.

“Cranleigh won the Daily Mail Cup and in my final year we got to the finals at Rosslyn Park Sevens but lost to Sedbergh. We had a great first XV, the likes of Oscar Beard, Will Trenholm, Hayden Hyde, Hugh Tizard,

Harry Barlow and Jamie Barden. The team was littered with unbelievable players.

“I just knew from the time I was let go by Quins I wanted to get back. The only way of doing that was putting everything into my schoolboy rugby because I knew Cranleigh was the right place for me.”

Inspired by the style of rugby played in New Zealand, Williams says he has utilised his past skills in jiu-jitsu in moulding himself as an all-action openside flanker and can see why England boss Eddie Jones has incorporated mixed martial arts training as part of his camps at Pennyhill Park.

“You have to get used to the contact and the skills in how to move someone,” explained Williams, who will be dual-registered with Redruth this season. “It helped massively in developing my rugby technique as a grappling sport.

“Doing it from a very young age has made me a better tackler and better prepared for being a forward.

“I was around 11 and 12 when I won the English championship, but I stopped around that time to focus on rugby because I knew I was going to Cranleigh. I had to pick one or the other and maybe I will go back to jiu-jitsu at another time, but I just knew at the time I had to focus on one and go all in.

“You are seeing it introduced more in Union and also in Rugby League. I think jiu-jitsu or most martial arts can be a way to teach you how to control someone on the ground, and give you some important

skills and a different kind of training to what you are used to in rugby.”