He made his debut for Eastern Province in 1991, the first of 68 appearances, which included two Currie Cup finals, and became such a popular figure there that it was suggested the sides ground, Newlands, should be renamed Chesterfield. Chester Mornay Williams (8 August 1970 6 September 2019)[1] was a South African rugby union player. Chester Williams-Jr was buried at Indiantown Gap National CemeterySection 13 Site 785 Rr2, Box 484 - Indiantown Gap Road, in Annville. It also showed several scenes showing black children in South Africa idolising him, although author John Carlin has questioned the accuracy of this as Williams in fact identified as coloured rather than black. He loved, he lived, and he served. Williams was born in Paarl in the Western Cape. Record information. We are very saddened to hear of your recent loss. Williams' sudden death, so soon after team-mate James Small, hits SA hard. The newspaper noted that Williams was not black but was defined as colored in South Africa, meaning that he was of mixed-race. The World Cup-winning South Africa wing Chester Williams has died from a heart attack at the age of 49, South Africa Rugby has announced. Chester was a true pioneer in South African rugby and his performances at the World Cup in 1995, as a snapshot of his Springbok career, will forever be etched in the hearts and minds of our rugby public. The former wing was the only black player in the World Cup-winning team that defeated rivals New Zealand 15-12 in South Africa 24 years ago. Mr. Williams was born Aug. 28, 1937 in San Augustine County and died Dec. 6, 2015 in Lufkin. He said: Pierre Spies: A retired and great rugby legend. In the days before he died, Chester Bennington had seemed happy and well, his widow recalled. May peace and comfort find you during this difficult. Williams won 27 caps for the Springboks during an international career that spanned from 1993 to 2000, in which he scored 14 tries for his country, while he also represented the Western Province and Golden Lions at club level, as well as South African Super Rugby side the Cats. Chester transitioned to his heavenly home on Friday, September 18, 2020 in Silver Spring, MD. In one instance a teammate used a racist slur and told him: Why do you want to play our game? More info. He played with courage and was a beacon of light in his community and in the broader South African context. When he retired, Williams made a career in coaching where he worked with the Uganda national rugby union team, the South Africa national rugby sevens team, and the University of the Western Cape. Morris Community Cemetery, Hume, VA. To send flowers It was reported that the seasoned rugby player had succumbed to a heart attack. Chester Williams was buried at Corinth National CemeterySection D Site 269 1551 Horton Street, in Corinth, Mississippi. Chester Williams pictured in May 2000. This year he released his own beer label, Chesters Lager and Chesters IPA, which will be the only South African brew at the upcoming Rugby World Cup in Japan. Chester Williams is the World Cup-winning South African rugby winger who died on September 6 at the age of 49. Rev. GettySpringbok Chester Williams sits on the rugby ball during training at Christs College before their TriNations test against the All Blacks at Jade Stadium. Williams later moved into coaching, most recently taking charge of the Ugandan and Tunisian national teams. Friends, Family and Loved ones has poured out their grieve and condolence to honor the passing away of the deceased. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. He accepted Christ at an early age at First Mt. The condition happens when there is a sudden loss of blood flow to a part of a persons heart muscle. Unlike popular belief, heroes do not come dressed in blue aprons and a mask. Williams had been quiet, undemonstrative and uncomplaining in his playing days, so the rugby world was all the more surprised when, in a 2002 autobiography, he told of how he had experienced ugly moments. [10] Williams himself worked as one of the film's rugby coaches, alongside Dubai-based coach Rudolf de Wee, a childhood friend whom he recruited to the film. As if this was not all, he was named as the coach of the Pumas and signed a two-year contract with the team. England Regions. He signed a two-year deal with the team, effective 1 October 2006, but resigned as coach in mid-2007. A Collection of Interesting, Important, and Controversial Perspectives Largely Excluded from the American Mainstream Media Thursday, 2nd March 2023See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. In retirement, Williams went on to study sports science at the Universitatea de Vest din Timioara. He won the Currie Cup in 1999, with the Golden Lions. Chester Mornay Williams (8 Augustus 1970 - 6 September 2019) was 'n Springbokrugbyspeler en die eerste gekleurde speler van Suid-Afrika wat 'n Wreldbeker kon wen nadat hy deel was van die 1995-span. Williams told the network, I never thought Id have the lifestyle I have now It was difficult times when I was growing up., The World Cup was recalled in the 2009 Clint Eastwood movie, Invictus. Williams was credited as being one of the coaches on the movie, according to the films IMDb page. Williams was the first non-white to be part of South Africa national team Springboks, after Errol Tobias and his uncle Avril Williams back in the 1980s. Mother Valley Williams. Wilfred Williams played for the national team of the South African Rugby Federation, a nonwhite apartheid-era league, from 1969 to 1981. Your place in history is assured. Williams told News 24 in 2013 that it was only after filming scenes for Invictus did he realize how big of a deal the 1995 World Cup had been to the Rainbow Nation. Former Springbok wing Chester Williams has died at the age of 49. Search funeral notices in Cheshire featuring the Chester Chronicle, Crewe Chronicle and Cheshire Live, on the much loved tribute site funeral-notices.co.uk, where you can leave loving tributes for free on any of our death notices, obituaries, in memoriams, and acknowledgements JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA JUNE 14: South African rugby national selection members (L-R) Joost van der Westhuizen, Francious Pienaar and Chester Williams joke during practice 14 June in Johannesburg in preparation for their 17 June Rugby World Cup semi-final against France in Durban. Nothing could have been more of a lie. Father Unavailable. @Springboks pic.twitter.com/bvZdDMf513, Ryan Schwartz ?? In 1994, Mornay was named as South Africa's player of the year. Facebook/Chester WilliamsChester Williams and his wife pictured in September 2016. He was later called back into the squad and played in the quarter final, scoring four tries,[2] followed by the semi-final and the final against New Zealand, which South Africa won 1512. He also won the Currie Cup with the Golden Lions in 1999. Chester was not your ordinary man in pants and plain tees. ???????? Williams, who was classified as colored in South Africas system of racial divisions, was an important presence in the 1995 tournament because his team, the Springboks, had historically been white, playing the sport most cherished by the Afrikaners, the dominant political group under apartheid. Photographs of Mandela presenting the trophy to Pienaar after a 15-12 extra-time victory over the favored New Zealand, and of Williams smiling among his white teammates, flew around the world as images of a rehabilitated nation. Chester Williams in a test match against Argentina in 2000 in Buenos Aires. We are sad to announce that on February 24, 2023 we had to say goodbye to Chester Allen Williams of Wewahitchka, Florida. The NHS advised the five main steps one should take to reduce their risk of having a heart attack. Williams was the only black player in the Springboks squad as they claimed the world title in 1995. 1920 United States Federal Census. Although the famous World Cup win of 1995 came after the end of apartheid, rugby still held the perception of being a sport for the white population of South Africa. Celebrate the life of the deceased, leave a kind word. (WXIX) MIDDLETOWN (WXIX) - The identity of the man killed in Saturday's officer-involved . He was born in Brooklyn, NY to the late Cesare & Angelino (Scopolito) Leone January 23, 1930. Tributes are flowing for a man respected and loved throughout the . He scored four tries against Western Samoa in the quarter-finals before tasting glory in the final win over New Zealand. Mark Alexander, president of SA Rugby, revealed his shock after hearing Williams had died in Cape Town on Friday afternoon. Interesting facts about the late Joost van der Westhuizen. It was the nail-biting defeat of the All Blacks that clinched their victory as winners and the events were made into a film starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman entitled Invictus. He was portrayed by McNeil Hendricks in the 2009 Clint Eastwood film Invictus, a biographical sports drama film about the events in South Africa before and during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and he also helped to coach Matt Damon and other actors for the rugby scenes used in the film. Chester Mornay Williams, a.k.a The Black Pearl has finally rested. We partied together, we had fun together, we stuck by one another. He is survived by his wife, Maria (nee Robson), whom he married in 2002, by two children, Chloe and Matthew, and a stepson, Ryan, and by his father, a sister and a brother. The World Cup-winning South Africa wing Chester Williams has died from a heart attack at the age of 49, South Africa Rugby has announced. We hope this living tribute will bring comfort to you and your family. After joining the Western Province rugby union team in 1991, he became so popular that one administrator jokingly suggested renaming its venerable Newlands Stadium in Cape Town Chesterfield.. He inherited his love of rugby from his father, Wilfred Williams, who played for the Proteas, a team run by the South Africa Rugby Federation for black and coloured players that divided opinion in those communities because it had an inter-race fixture list; a versatile back, Williams Sr played against the 1974 British Lions in Cape Town and against France the following year. We would like to offer our sincere support to anyone coping with grief. 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