Sharni Williams

Sharni Williams currently plays as a centre for the Australia women's rugby union team and the Australia Sevens squad. She made her international debut against New Zealand in 2008. She has also played for Brumbies and Canberra Royals.

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. She scored a hat trick and won 95-0. Her first cap came a few days later and she finished the season as ACT Rugby Rookie of the Year.

Fast forward two years and Williams was selected for the 2010 Rugby World Cup. She delivered an impressive performance during the tournament and scored 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 in 2010.

In addition to 15s, 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. A few years later, Williams suffered an injury which led to her missing most of the 2016 season. However, she returned to play the final round and helped Australia win their 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 steered the team to a gold medal. This achievement earned her 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. Williams was also named in the squad for the 2020 Olympics.

In 2022, Williams represented the sevens and 15s teams on the international stage. She won the 2022 Sevens Rugby World Cup and reached the quarter-finals at the delayed 2021 Rugby World Cup.

Two years later, Williams made her third appearance at the Olympics. She travelled to Paris for the 2024 Games and finished in fourth place. Today, Williams is Australia’s most-capped women’s sevens player of all time. She has made more than 300 appearances and scored in excess of 650 points.

From the sevens to the 15s, Sharni Williams is one of Australia’s greatest rugby players. Here at RugbyPass, we’re looking forward to seeing what she does next.