By Francois de Wet
Towering Sanlam Boland Cavaliers lock Marlyn Williams has had one of the most interesting journeys in becoming one of the most capped players in coach Hawies Fourie’s current squad of players.
And when he runs out for the Cavas in this weekend’s second-round SA Cup game against the NovaVit Griffons in Welkom, it will be the 83rd time that Williams will wear the famous black and gold jersey for the union he first represented as a schoolboy.
Rugby would however take the former Paulus Joubert High School student on a long rugby journey of self-discovery before he would eventually become a fully-fledged Sanlam Boland Cavaliers player in 2016.
Williams was scouted by Eastern Cape Union the Border Bulldogs after seeing the promising lock play for Boland’s u18 Academy team during the 2010 SA Rugby Academy Week in Vryheid.
“I did not think twice about taking up that opportunity because the [then] Zululand Rugby Academy moved down to East London with coach JP Immelman at the head,” Williams says.
“Something special had started at Border back then where we won the u21 B Division title in 2011 by beating Eastern Province 23-19 in the final at Boland [Rugby] Stadium in Wellington that year and then we won promotion to the A Division after a 22-20 win against the Valke the following weekend in Kempton Park.
“It was a privilege to be part of that historic title win and promotion. For me, fresh out of high school, it was also a big thing to move to a different City at such a young age.”
But little did Williams know that Kempton Park would soon become his new home after coach Immelman, in who the lock not only found a coach but also a mentor, left Border and decided to take Williams with him to the Gauteng-based team.
And it did not take long for the second row to make an impact at the Valke, and not yet even turning 21 years old at the time.
“Those were some big years [2012 until 2015] at the Valke as we pushed hard to try and win the Currie Cup First Division title under coach JP’s guidance,” Williams remembers. “Before I knew it I had played 50 games for them and I was still eligible to play for the u21 team.
“Playing my 50th cap for the Valke and not yet turning 21 is definitely one of my fondest memories in my time at the union. Also getting to play in my first Currie Cup First Division Final – although we [narrowly] lost 23-21 to the Griffons in Welkom – is also one of my cherished memories in my time in Kempton Park.”
However, Williams could no longer say no to the burning desire within his heart to return home and play for his beloved Sanlam Boland Cavaliers and joined in 2016, which had been promoted to play in the Currie Cup Premier Division alongside Eastern Province.
Although the Cavas and EP were relegated back to the First Division after finishing seventh and eighth respectively, at the end of the season, Williams stayed with the Cavas and helped them reach the semi-finals of the First Division in 2017. And while 2018 and 2019 proved to be some of the Cavas most testing times Williams stayed committed.
That commitment led to a call from the Suzuki Griquas to play for them from the 2020 season onwards, but when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Williams unfortunately never got the chance to don the Griquas’ blue jersey in a competitive game.
“That is when my agent called me up in 2021 and asked if I would be interested in an overseas move to Spanish club Grenika who then played in the country’s top league, División de Honour de Rugby,” Williams said.
“At that stage we had just come out of the global Covid-19 lockdowns and for me it was very important to stay close to family. It was a quite difficult time where it was tough to get used to hearing of close family members and friends passing away. My wife, Whitney, and I had to pray hard about the decision to make the move to Europe.
“It was truly a big challenge to adapt especially to the winter where at times it got as cold as -7 Degrees Celsius which made me quite home-sick at times. But after coming home for Christmas break and then going back I could do that with some new perspective. The time spent in Spain was really good for my development as a player. Especially learning about a different culture of rugby and way of playing the game.”
After the Spanish stint, home came calling again as Williams was back in the Cavas fold and the dream of seeing the Wellington-based team back in the Currie Cup Premier Division was reignited. Helping the team win back-to-back Currie Cup First Division titles in 2023 and 2024.
And of his second coming to a Sanlam Boland team the nephew of former Proteas (South African Rugby Football Federation) captain Pompies Williams says: “The plan was always to return to Boland and get the Cavas back on the map as one of the big unions in South Africa. This region is blessed with so much talent and I knew [as a player from the system] [that] if one day everyone starts to align to make it a great union, we can get to that point where we can compete against the bigger unions.
“This is a wonderful region to play rugby in and in 2016 when I returned for the first time to come and play for the union where I started as a junior and take it further is very special.”
Williams will be playing in his 83rd game for Sanlam Boland Cavaliers when they take on the NovaVit Griffons on Saturday at 15:00 in Welkom in the SA Cup and edge the lock closer to the magical mark of 100 caps.
However this impending milestone – that could be reached before the end of the 2025 season is the last thing on Williams’ mind.
“To me it is about being well prepared before going out on the field to help my team win than to rank up caps. It is important to contribute every week to the team and the union’s success. When the union and team are doing well, then you as an individual automatically do well,” he explains.
“But, if my body holds up and if I can get to 100 caps it will be truly special and an honour.”
The Cavas made a wonderful start to the SA Cup after last week beating the Toyota Cheetahs 45-29 at Boland Stadium.
To Williams, that win means nothing if they can’t back it up this weekend against the Griffons and says: “To start with a win against a formidable team like the Cheetahs was great. We have been working hard since August last year to make sure we have a successful SA Cup campaign and last week’s win can be seen as one of the rewards of putting in that work during our big off-season.
It does not help you set yourself big goals and not get to bear the fruits of that labour.
However, we are not going to get ahead of ourselves after just one win. We have achieved nothing yet so it is going to be important to stay humble and keep on working hard for each other. I am very excited about the road ahead.