By Robin Davey
Welsh rugby has just lost one of its unsung heroes with the death at 68 of Robin Williams, arguably the greatest place kicker and the biggest points machine the game has ever seen.
Williams, the former Pontypool and Newport full-back, once scored a phenomenal 517 points in a season, a Welsh record which stands to this day.
517 Pts in a season…. Wow! Don’t know how many tries in that Pts haul but I do recall the Goal Kicks we’re split fairly evenly between either foot. Unheard of today. Paul Turner is the only player to come close, I’d say.
— Mark Ring (@MarkRing10) October 23, 2018
He could blast over penalties from his own half, and did so on a regular basis. Not only that, he did so with either foot! Left or right, it made little difference to Williams.
His points scoring feats have made him part of Pontypool folklore, in particular.
Watched him as a kid playing for Cardiff Training College on their famous Welsh Cup run think 73/74.
Amazing how he kicked the ball miles off either foot, and at goal. They came to Newbridge and won, lost to Cardiff in Arms Park 7-6 in Semi Final. #Memory— Paul Turner (@paulturnerrugby) October 24, 2018
Former Pooler heroes like Mark Ring and David Bishop have taken to social media to record their tributes and give their sympathy.
Williams also featured for Monmouthshire when county rugby was going strong and he also played for Wales B, though he never achieved full international honours.
RIP Robin Williams, the boot behind Pooler’s 1974-75 Welsh Championship winning side… pic.twitter.com/ahQhgQNgQR
— GJPowell (@TheVietGwent) October 23, 2018
After retiring from rugby Williams took up golf and was a member of Newport Golf Club, playing off a single figure handicap.
He had been suffering from heart problems for the past few years.