| Birth name | Harry Anthony Hall Williams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 1 October 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 126 kg (19 st 12 lb; 278 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Whitgift School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Harry Anthony Hall Williams (born 1 October 1991) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a tight-head prop for Top 14 side Montpellier. At International level, Williams made his England debut against Argentina on 10 June 2017.[1]
Williams was born on 1 October 1991 and grew up in Crystal Palace in South London, where his father worked as a bricklayer and his mother as a landscape gardener.[2] He attended Whitgift School in Croydon along with fellow professional rugby players Elliot Daly and Marland Yarde. After leaving school he spent six months at North Shore Rugby Football Club in New Zealand,[3] before enlisting on an English and sports science degree at Loughborough University, where he also joined the student Rugby Club.[2]
While still a student, Williams was a member of the Wasps academy, but it was not until he spent a season each first at Nottingham and then at Jersey Reds that he was picked regularly in the squad. In 2015, he was scouted by Rob Baxter at the Exeter Chiefs who signed him and started his Premiership career.[3][4] Williams started the 2017 Premiership final as Exeter defeated Wasps to win the first league title in their history.[5]
In April 2017 Williams was called up by coach Eddie Jones for the England tour of Argentina.[6] On 10 June 2017 Williams made his Test debut starting in a 38-34 win over Los Pumas.[1] He played an hour before being replaced by fellow debutant Will Collier.[1] Williams also started the second test as England won the series.[7] He was retained for the end-of-year tests and featured in a victory over Australia.[8]
Williams was included in the squad for the 2018 Six Nations Championship and made three appearances off the bench in the competition.[9] At 20 st 11 lbs (132 kg), he was the heaviest player competing in the tournament.[10] He was a member of the 2018 tour of South Africa and featured off the bench in all three tests as England lost the series 2-1.[11] Williams was also part of the side that finished runners up in the 2019 Six Nations.[12] Later that year he was included in training camps for the 2019 Rugby World Cup but was ultimately not selected.[13]
On 17 October 2020 Williams started for Exeter as they defeated Racing 92 in the Champions Cup final to become European champions for the first time in their history.[14] A week later he also started in the Premiership final as they defeated Wasps to complete a League and European double.[15] In July 2023 it was confirmed that Williams would leave Exeter to join Top 14 club Montpellier.[16]
Williams resided in Aylesbeare in Devon and his interests include baking and electronic music.[2] His younger sister Matilda has represented Great Britain at Water polo.[2][17]
Exeter Chiefs