I’M KING OF THE SKIES!
Liam Williams insists he’ll handle the Boks’ aerial onslaught
LIAM WILLIAMS has been recalled to the Lions starting XV due to his skills as an expert bomb defuser. It’s fair to say he is confident about living up to his billing. Very confident.
It is the sort of self-belief that head coach Warren Gatland and the other Lions players will be reassured by.
When the Wales full back was asked who the best player in the world is under the high ball, he said: ‘You’re looking at him.’
There was a tribute to the work of his team-mates who act as escorts — trying to legally prevent opponents from reaching him to compete for the ball.
But, when pressed on whether he really backs himself to get the better of anyone else in an aerial contest, Williams said: ‘Of course. If I don’t believe in myself, nobody else is going to believe in me.
‘You know when you play 15, your job is to catch balls and chase kicks. I have been behind Leigh Halfpenny for years and he was one of the best in the air. We’ve worked together for years. That’s basically what we do.’
The 30-year-old will be seen as the solution to a pressing problem. Last Saturday, the Lions lost the second Test largely because of their inability to cope with South Africa’s aerial onslaught. The back three spilled the ball repeatedly and two of them, Stuart Hogg and Anthony Watson, have been dropped as a consequence.
If the Lions do not improve in this pivotal aspect of the game, they will lose the series decider, so Williams is a symbol of hope for the tourists.
He knows that brings a certain burden of expectation but he is not unduly fazed.
‘I am only human,’ he said. ‘I do feel a bit of pressure. It has been talked about quite a bit this week and it is something I am going to pride my game on at the weekend.’
After being on the bench for the first Test and not in the matchday 23 last weekend, Williams is motivated but still relaxed enough to joke about his job.
What’s the secret to dominating the air — technique or confidence? ‘F*** knows,’ he quipped. ‘When the ball is in the air, I’m not one to step back.
‘Going for those balls, for me, is my way to help out my team. Whether I get hurt in the process, that’s just the way it is.
‘Of course we’re working on technique; working on trying to get high and stay square, but you’ve got to have balls as well.
‘You don’t get much time to think. I’m going up in the air to get the ball and whether that means a 50-50 clattering in the air, that’s just the way it is.’
The Lions have been on their aerial skills in training this week, with plenty of one-on-one contests for the ball.
Four years ago, Williams was part of the Lions team who went into the final Test with New Zealand level at 1-1 in the series, as is the case this time.
‘It’s a bit like deja vu, I guess,’ he said. In the first Test that year, he had set up a classic long-range try by counter-attacking from inside his own 22.
Amid all the talk of catching kicks, he hopes he will have chances to run tomorrow too.
In a tight series, a repeat of his moment of magic in that thrilling draw at Eden Park could be decisive.
‘That would be nice, yeah,’ he said. ‘It was a great try scored by Sean O’Brien in the end. It was all a bit of a blur. I watch the game back sometimes and think, “Jesus, what was I thinking?” But it all worked out in the end.’