Sharni Williams

Sharni Williams currently plays as a centre for the Australia women’s rugby union team and the Australian rugby sevens squad. She made her international debut against New Zealand in 2008.

Born on 2 March 1988 in Batlow, New South Wales, Sharni Williams began playing for Australia in 2008. Her first game was an unofficial test against the Australian President’s XV and she scored a hat trick, helping her team to win the match 95-0. She earned her first cap just a few days later and finished her first season as ACT Rugby Rookie of the Year.

Fast forward two years and Williams was selected for the 2010 Rugby World Cup squad. She delivered an impressive performance during the tournament and scored a total of three tries: one in Australia’s 26-12 victory against Wales and two in their 62-0 win over South Africa. She was subsequently recognised as Australian Women's Player of the Year 2010.

In addition to 15s, Sharni Williams is a talented sevens player. She joined the Australia Sevens team in 2011 and played every match of the Women’s Sevens World Series in 2012. Fast forward a few years and an injury meant that she missed most of the 2016 season. However, she returned to play the final round of the season and helped Australia win its first World Series title.

In the same year, her leadership skills were put to the test. Williams became co-captain of the Olympic sevens squad and successfully led the team to a gold medal. For her achievement, she was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2017. Additionally, she went on to win silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

In 2022, Sharni Williams had represented both the sevens and 15s sides on the international stage. She won the 2022 Sevens Rugby World Cup and finished in sixth place at the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup.