Nick Williams Aironi Rugby: the Season That Relaunched Everything
This profile of Nick Williams Aironi Rugby traces the New Zealand number 8’s move to Viadana in 2010. It also covers his two seasons with the club and the transfer to Ulster that followed. Nick Williams is one of the most-cited names to have played for Aironi Rugby. He joined the club in Viadana in 2010 after his contract with Munster in Ireland’s top division expired. He stayed with Aironi for both of the club’s seasons, from 2010 to 2012.
| Fact | Detail | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Number 8 | He kept the same position throughout his career, from Super Rugby in New Zealand right through to his retirement at Cardiff Blues in 2020 |
| Born | 2 December 1983, Auckland, New Zealand | Grew up in the Grey Lynn area of Auckland, in a family of Samoan descent, one of eight children |
| Physical stats | 1.91m (6ft 3in), 130kg | A frame that let him carry the ball through contact and gain hard yards throughout his career |
| Clubs | North Harbour, Blues, Munster, Aironi, Ulster, Cardiff Blues | A 16-year career that took him through four countries: New Zealand, Ireland, Italy and Wales |
| At Aironi | 2010-2012, 34 appearances | Joined after his Munster contract expired, just as Aironi were building their first-ever squad for the Pro12 and Heineken Cup |
| Trophies | 2008-09 Celtic League (Munster), 2017-18 European Rugby Challenge Cup (Cardiff Blues) | Also won two individual awards in a single 2012-13 season at Ulster: Pro12 Player of the Season and IRUPA Players’ Player of the Year |
From Auckland to the 15-a-side game
Williams was born on 2 December 1983 in Auckland, New Zealand, to a family of Samoan descent. He grew up in the Grey Lynn area of the city, one of eight children. As a boy he played rugby league rather than rugby union, only switching codes later in his teenage years.
The switch paid off. Williams was capped for the New Zealand Under-21 side and played for North Harbour between 2004 and 2008, making 33 appearances. In the same period he broke into Super Rugby with the Auckland-based Blues, racking up 37 appearances. He also earned four Junior All Blacks caps, winning the 2006 Pacific Nations Cup with the junior side.
Physically, Williams was an imposing number 8 even by the position’s own standards: 1.91m (6ft 3in) and 130kg. That frame let him carry the ball through contact and gain hard yards throughout his career, from Super Rugby to his final seasons in Wales.
Nick Williams Aironi Rugby: Joining in 2010
Before arriving in Italy, Williams spent two seasons at Munster, from 2008 to 2010, making 19 appearances and scoring a hat-trick against Newport Gwent Dragons along the way. He won his first European honour there too, the 2008–09 Celtic League.
When his Munster deal wasn’t renewed, Williams found himself without a club right as Aironi were building their first-ever squad for the Pro12 and Heineken Cup. For a brand-new franchise, signing a player with experience in one of Europe’s most competitive leagues was a real statement. It marked the start of the Nick Williams Aironi Rugby chapter, one that would end just two seasons later when the club folded.
Two seasons in Viadana
In an interview with Planet Rugby’s “Life after Rugby” series, Williams described the Aironi period as far from easy. The club was still finding its feet. Around the same time, he found out his partner was pregnant. Despite the difficulties, the 2011–12 season saw him produce some strong individual performances.
Across his two seasons in black and silver, Williams made 34 appearances for Aironi — the longest single European spell of his career after Ulster. That run ended when the club folded in 2012.
Williams shared the Aironi dressing room with several other names now remembered from that era, from captain Marco Bortolami to Mauro Bergamasco and Andrea Masi. The club’s history covers the full squad from those two seasons.
The move to Ulster
After Aironi folded, it was a call from Mark Anscombe, his first coach back in New Zealand, that relaunched Williams’s career. Anscombe convinced him to move to Belfast to play for Ulster. He stayed four seasons, from 2012 to 2016, making 76 appearances. It was the most decorated spell of his career. In 2013 he was named both Pro12 Player of the Season and IRUPA Players’ Player of the Year, an honour voted on by fellow Irish professionals.
Cardiff Blues and retirement
Williams moved on to Cardiff Blues in 2016, playing four more seasons there until 2020, making 77 appearances and scoring 13 tries along the way. In 2017–18 he was part of the squad that won the European Rugby Challenge Cup, his second continental trophy after the one he’d won at Munster.
In August 2020, Williams announced his retirement from professional rugby, closing out a 16-year career that had taken him through New Zealand, Ireland, Italy and Wales. Altogether he won two continental trophies with two different clubs and two individual awards in a single 2012–13 season at Ulster. It’s a rare haul for a player who changed teams as often as he did.
Frequently asked questions
What position did Nick Williams play?
Nick Williams played as a number 8, a position he kept throughout his career, from Super Rugby in New Zealand right through to his retirement at Cardiff Blues in 2020. At 1.91m (6ft 3in) and 130kg, he was an imposing number 8 by the position’s own standards, able to carry the ball through contact and gain hard yards.
Where did Nick Williams play before Aironi?
Before joining Viadana in 2010, Williams played for Munster in Ireland’s top division, where his contract had just expired. He spent two seasons there, from 2008 to 2010, making 19 appearances and winning his first European honour, the 2008–09 Celtic League.
How many seasons did Nick Williams play for Aironi?
Williams played both of the club’s seasons, from 2010 to 2012, before moving to Ulster after Aironi folded. Across those two seasons he made 34 appearances in black and silver. He shared the dressing room with other names remembered from that era, including captain Marco Bortolami, Mauro Bergamasco and Andrea Masi.
Where did Nick Williams go after Aironi?
After Aironi folded in 2012 he moved to Ulster, at the invitation of former New Zealand coach Mark Anscombe. He stayed at Ulster for four seasons, from 2012 to 2016, making 76 appearances. He then moved on to Cardiff Blues in 2016, playing four more seasons and making 77 appearances with 13 tries.
How many trophies did Nick Williams win in his career?
Two continental trophies with two different clubs: the 2008–09 Celtic League with Munster and the 2017–18 European Rugby Challenge Cup with Cardiff Blues. In the 2012–13 season at Ulster he also won two individual awards, Pro12 Player of the Season and IRUPA Players’ Player of the Year.
How many appearances did Nick Williams make for Aironi?
Williams made 34 appearances in Aironi’s black and silver jersey between 2010 and 2012. It was the longest single European spell of his career after his four following seasons at Ulster, where he made 76 appearances between 2012 and 2016. He also played for Munster (19 appearances) and Cardiff Blues (77 appearances) during his sixteen-year professional career.
Sources
The Nick Williams Aironi Rugby profile, including club-by-club appearance and honours data, is verified against Wikipedia. Other sources include the “Life after Rugby: Nick Williams” interview published by Planet Rugby, and Cardiff Rugby’s own retirement announcement.
For the full context on the club Williams played for, read the Aironi Rugby history.