ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
REGISTER
LOGIN
ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
Friday Jan 17, 2020

'There are more important things than my shyness or pride' - Johnny Williams opens up on his return from cancer

In the week that he returns to competitive rugby action from testicular cancer, Newcastle Falcons centre Johnny Williams hopes that sharing his story can lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment for future sufferers. 

The 23-year-old was in pre-season training with the Falcons and fresh from scoring on his England debut when he received the news that he had the stage-two condition, which would ultimately lead to chemotherapy. 

Williams starts for the Falcons in Sunday’s Greene King IPA Championship trip to Yorkshire Carnegie after battling back to health and fitness, having played a half last weekend for a Falcons XV in their friendly match against Watsonians.  

“It was great to be back out on a rugby field again, and I was just happy to have the opportunity to do what I love,” said the former London Irish man. 

“It wasn’t an amazing game – the weather was bad, I only played a half and hardly touched the ball – but most importantly from a personal perspective was just to get out there. 

“You’ve got to celebrate all the small victories along the way, and getting out onto the rugby pitch again was definitely one of those after going through a tough time.” 

Opening up on his situation, Williams said: “I have to admit I did think about keeping it quiet, but there are more important things than my shyness or pride.  

“If by telling my story it gets just one person to check themselves and realise they’ve got cancer, then it will have been worthwhile.  

“There are worse kinds of cancer and worse stages to be at than mine was, so I was grateful with that in mind to have a stage-two testicular diagnosis which is 99% curable. 

“It was a difficult time, but I’m out the other side of it now and getting on with my life. 

“It was mid-August when I first diagnosed, although I’d had it and left it for three months before going and seeing the doctor. I have regrets about that and I’ve learned a few lessons the hard way, but I’m happy with how I’ve dealt with things since then. 

“I’ve spoken about the need for guys to check themselves and to seek expert opinions if there’s any inkling that something isn’t right, but for the immediate future I’m just happy to be back out there for the Falcons playing competitive rugby with my mates.” 

Explaining his route back into rugby, the centre said: “Getting back into the club after my chemo was a big step, even if it was just doing a little bit of light running to begin with. 

“Over time we’ve built that up, I got more involved with the team training and as the weeks went on I got introduced back into the contact training. Last weekend it was an awesome feeling to get a half for the Falcons XV up in Scotland, and to start on Sunday in Leeds will be another massive step.” 

Re-joining a Falcons side which is top of the league and unbeaten in all 14 of their games this season, the returning Williams insists there is still room for further improvement. 

“It’s been great to watch the boys winning on such a consistent basis, but all the talk among the players and coaches has been about having a Premiership standard throughout the season,” he said.

“We’re not happy with just winning, we need to be playing better and hopefully I can help to play a part in that.

“We’ve been playing well in bursts, and the hope is that I can get my own personal form back and start to make a contribution towards the ultimate season goal of promotion.”

Taking nothing for granted against Sunday’s bottom-of-the-table opponents, he added: “I’ve had a look at Yorkshire Carnegie on the video and they’ve got some good players, so we have to be careful.

“We’re away from home, and we’ll have to be on it to get what we want out of the game. It’s a good pitch, which should help, and I’m really looking forward to it. I just can’t wait to get stuck in.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles

  • 43 WEEKS AGO

    Ellis Genge puts on his boxing gloves ready...

  • 43 WEEKS AGO

    Crazy scenes as player deliberately kicks...

  • 43 WEEKS AGO

    RFU make decision on transgender players...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 1 DAY AGO

    Jack Crowley drops the ball on dime for brilliant Munster try in URC Final

  • 3 DAYS AGO

    WATCH: World class offload from James O’Connor Leads To Long Range Reds Try

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Leinster up and running with two incredible tries inside the first five minutes

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Chiefs Score The “Best Team Try” In Super Rugby History

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    La Rochelle centre Seuteni produces other worldly offload in dominant victory

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 6 DAYS AGO

    Watch: Cheslin Kolbe Dominates Sebastian Cancelliere with back-to-back big tackles

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Ben Curry's World Cup hopes dashed as he becomes the latest victim of the crocodile roll

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Australian rugby player banned for 5 years after assaulting referee

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Anthony Watson comes within seconds of a Tuilagi haymaker

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    South African Panel Debate Apparent ‘Clean Cut’ Red Card In Interesting Debate

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 4 HOURS AGO

    Barbarians Vs World XV highlights

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Silly Skill From Toulouse Fullback Highlights French Confidence

  • 14 WEEKS AGO

    Ardie Savea Moment Of Magic In Super Rugby Aotearoa

  • 15 WEEKS AGO

    'Armchair athletes' berate Arundell's seriously impressive bench press

  • 15 WEEKS AGO

    Worcester Warriors - The End

View All

Funnies

  • 6 HOURS AGO

    Munster Rugby loving life in Cape Town Following URC Final Victory

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    WATCH: La Rochelle Players Gate Crash O’Gara Interview

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    WATCH: Stade Rochelais Coaches With All-Time Coaches Box Celebration

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Stephen Jones’s deleted rugby 7s article leads to hilarious wikipedia update

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Watch: DHL Stormers Celebrate Munster Victory In Style

View All

Amateur

  • 20 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 20 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 43 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 43 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 43 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 2 DAYS AGO

    John Afoa breaks record on return to Super Rugby

  • 3 DAYS AGO

    Harry Potter to ‘disapparate’ to Australia

  • 4 DAYS AGO

    Steve Hansen makes statement following Folau selection

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    O'Gara gives honest response on Ireland job in passionate interview

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Australian rugby player banned for 5 years after assaulting referee

View All