SHANE Williams made his 87th and final test appearance in Cardiff on Saturday, but few will know the Wales and Lions great was once a Blaydon player.

Now aged 34 and with more than 50 international tries to his name, the Ospreys’ wing landed in the North East with a view to playing scrum-half for Blaydon.

The club were then under the tutelage of Andy Howells, the Welsh coach who took the HFW Wailers squad to the Dubai Sevens last weekend.

Blaydon secretary Jim Huxley recalled: “Andy convinced this little scrum-half to come and play for us and his name was Shane Williams.

“After just a week of training with us he received an offer to go fully professional back in Wales, and the rest is history.”

Huxley joked: “He has done all right since leaving us, but I bet he is kicking himself because he missed out on four promotions with Blaydon, two County Cup wins and a Twickenham appearance in the Intermediate Cup final!”

Another ex-Blaydon man at Twickenham over the weekend was full-back Ed Yarnton, who lined up for the Southern Hemisphere against their northern equivalents in the Help for Heroes charity match.

The Aussie-born player was in the same squad as All Black legends Justin Marshall, Wallaby World Cup winner Joe Roff, Australian icon Phil Waugh and New Zealand international Adam Thomson as they raised funds for the forces’ charity.

Huxley said: “It is a proud moment for a club like Blaydon to see a former player line-up in such company, and for such a great cause.

“Ed was with us last season and has moved down to London, but we still have fond memories of his time with us.

“He remains one of the best players I have seen under the high ball, which is down to his Australian Rules Football background as a teenager.”