Rugby great Bryan Williams receives Distinguished Alumni Award
Pacific leader, lawyer and former All Black Bryan (Beegee) Williams is one of six University of Auckland graduates to be
honoured with a Distinguished Alumni Award, which he will receive at a gala dinner in Auckland on 13 March.
Bryan, who graduated with an LLB in 1974, played 113 matches for the All Blacks between 1970 and 1978. He was one of the
first Pacific Islanders to play for New Zealand in a game dominated by players of Celtic, Anglo Saxon and Māori origin.
The 19-year-old Samoan winger broke the mould, scoring 14 tries in 13 matches during the All Blacks 1970 tour of South
Africa.
The hallmarks of his game were strong running, a nifty sidestep and a reliable boot.
Bryan has kept in touch with the grassroots of the sport he began playing in 1960, notching up years of service for
which he has been awarded an MBE, a Samoan Order of Merit and a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Through his example on the field and in the legal profession, Bryan has become a role model for others, paving a way for
young Polynesians to follow. “I like to think I helped forge a pathway,” he says.
A high point for Mr Williams was coaching Manu Samoa for 10 years and helping unleash the full powers of the team onto
the global rugby stage. “The other special highlight was when I got involved with Manu Samoa and went to three world
cups,” he says.
‘My Dad passed away before he could see us burst on to the world scene and beat Wales at Cardiff Arms Park in 1991 and
1999. He would have been really proud about that.”
Bryan said he was honoured to become a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Auckland. “I never imagined I would be
in this position – my awards are for doing something I really love and enjoy.”
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