Niall Guthrie

Niall Williams-Guthrie
Williams in 2017
BornNiall Williams
(1988-04-21) 21 April 1988
Height1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight74 kg (11 st 9 lb)
Notable relative(s)Sonny Bill Williams (brother)
Henry Perenara (cousin)
Marcus Perenara (cousin)
Rugby union career
Position Centre or Forward
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2024 Blues Women 5 (5)
National sevens team
Years Team Comps
2015–23 New Zealand 164
Rugby league career
Playing information
PositionCentre, Second-row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2023–25 Gold Coast Titans 17 2 0 0 4
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2023 Samoa 1 0 0 0 0
Medal record
Women's rugby sevens
Representing  New Zealand
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team competition
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast Team competition
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Birmingham Team competition
Rugby World Cup Sevens
Gold medal – first place 2018 San Francisco Team competition
Silver medal – second place 2022 Cape Town Team competition

Niall Williams-Guthrie (née Williams; born 21 April 1988) is a New Zealand rugby league player. She has represented New Zealand in rugby sevens and touch rugby at an international level. She has won silver medals as part of New Zealand's touch football team in 2011, and in the 2016 Rio Olympics as a member of New Zealand's sevens team. She also won gold medals in sevens in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens.

Early life

Williams was born on 21 April 1988, in Auckland, New Zealand, to Samoan father, Ioane ("John") Williams and mother, Lee Woolsey who is a Pākehā New Zealander of English descent whose mother (Williams' maternal grandmother) was from Australia.[1] She has two older brothers, John Arthur, Sonny Bill and a twin sister, Denise.[2] When she was young her parents separated, with her, her sister and John Arthur staying with their mother, while Sonny Bill lived with her father.[3] Her brother Sonny Bill Williams went on to have a successful career in rugby league and rugby union where he played for the All Blacks.[4] Her cousin Tim Nanai-Williams has represented Samoa in both Rugby Sevens and the fifteen-man game.

Williams grew up in a working-class family in a state house in the Auckland suburb of Mount Albert.[3]

Rugby career

Touch

In touch football she won gold at the 2005 Youth World Cup and silver at the 2011 Touch Football World Cup.[5][6][7]

Rugby Sevens

Guthrie made her international debut for New Zealand at Dubai on 3 December 2015.[8][4][9]

2016 Rio Olympics

She was a member of the New Zealand sevens team that competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics, where they claimed the silver medal behind Australia.[10][11]

2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

She was a member of New Zealand’s team that competed in the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.[12]

In the team’s opening match at Robina Stadium against Kenya on 13 April 2018, Williams scored two tries. The first occurred when she chased down a kicked ball as a Kenyan player attempted to shepherd it out over the dead-ball line only to see Williams dive full length past her to put it down just short of the dead ball line.[13] Three minutes later she scored her second try. In the final against Australia with score locked 12-12 at full time, Willams in extra-time chased down and made a try-saving tackle on Evania Pelite, winning the penalty at the breakdown which handed New Zealand possession from which Kelly Brazier ultimately scored the match-winning try.

Injury

Guthrie missed the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 due to a neck injury.[14][15] She was named in the Black Ferns Sevens squad for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.[16][17] She won a bronze medal at the event.[18][19] She also won a silver medal at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.[20][21][22]

Guthrie played in her final tournament for the Black Ferns Sevens at the 2023 France Women's Sevens in May 2023.[23][8]

Super Rugby Aupiki

Guthrie signed with the Blues Women for the 2024 Super Rugby Aupiki season.[24][25]

Rugby League

In 2023, Guthrie signed a two-year deal with the Gold Coast Titans in the NRLW.[23][8] She is also part of the Samoa squad taking part in the 2023 Pacific Rugby League Championships.

Personal life

Of Samoan and European descent,[26] she is also known as "Nizzle",[27]

At Paengaroa in December 2022 long after she had first accepted his marriage proposal back in 2016 she finally married her long-time partner Tamāli’i “Tama” Guthrie.[28][29] They had first met when they played touch rugby together but it wasn’t until she was training him to be a postman while both were working at NZ Post that a romantic connection began to form.[28] The couple have two children, Tatum-Lee and Rema-Rae.[28][27]

References

  1. ^ "Sonny Bill is still a mum's boy at heart". Stuff. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  2. ^ Deane, Steve (16 March 2013). "Early hints of Sonny Bill's charisma". NZ Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
  3. ^ a b Beanup, Greg (2 March 2013). "Sonny Bill Williams, the contender". Archived from the original on 22 July 2018.
  4. ^ a b Strang, Ben (26 November 2015). "SBW's sister Niall Williams is New Zealand's newest rugby sevens player". Stuff. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  5. ^ Summerfield, Shaun (16 June 2011). "SBW's sister looks to extend her bragging rights". 3 News. Media Works. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  6. ^ "Niall Williams". Touch New Zealand. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  7. ^ "Touch World Cup 2011: Women's Touch Blacks Strong in Brave Loss". Touch New Zealand. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
  8. ^ a b c Morton, Finn (12 May 2023). "Niall Guthrie opens up on 'bittersweet emotions' at last sevens event". RugbyPass. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Black Ferns Sevens out to send off NRLW-bound sister on a high". 1 News. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  10. ^ "WILLIAMS Niall". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  11. ^ "Sonny Bill and Niall Williams make Rio Olympics squads". Sky Sports. 3 July 2016. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Team Announcement". Facebook. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  13. ^ Strang, Ben (13 April 2018). "Portia Woodman and Niall Williams star as New Zealand women's sevens make Games debut". Stuff. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  14. ^ Dayal, Zion (20 April 2023). "Niall Williams Guthrie 'couldn't say no' to NRLW opportunity". 1 News. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Niall Guthrie returns for final tournament with Black Ferns sevens ahead of code switch". Stuff. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Rugby Sevens teams named for Commonwealth Games". All Blacks. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Experienced New Zealand sevens squads revealed for Commonwealth Games". Stuff. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  18. ^ McConnell, Lynn (1 August 2022). "Double bronze for New Zealand Sevens sides in Birmingham". All Blacks. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  19. ^ "NZ Sevens sides bounce back to win bronze medals". 1 News. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  20. ^ Julian, Adam (12 September 2022). "New Zealand sides scoop silver in Cape Town". All Blacks. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  21. ^ "NZ Sevens come up short, losing World Cup finals in Cape Town". 1 News. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  22. ^ Wilson, Sam (11 September 2022). "Recap: New Zealand's men and women beaten in Rugby World Cup Sevens finals in Cape Town". Stuff. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Niall Guthrie eyes up last tournament for Black Fern Sevens". RNZ. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  24. ^ "WILLIAMS-GUTHRIE JOINS nib BLUES FOR 2024". Blues Rugby. 20 November 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  25. ^ "Former Black Ferns sevens star Williams-Guthrie to join Blues". 1 News. 20 November 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  26. ^ "Player Profile Niall Williams". Sports TG. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  27. ^ a b "Niall Williams | allblacks.com". All Blacks. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  28. ^ a b c Prebble, Amy (17 February 2023). "Rugby Sevens star Niall Williams' wedding day". Now to Love. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  29. ^ "Mr & Mrs Guthrie". Facebook. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
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