Wales great Shane Williams has announced he will retire from all forms of rugby at the end of this season.
Williams, 37, played the last of his 87 Tests for Wales against Australia in 2011, scoring his 58th international try with his last touch of the game — a Welsh record.
The former World Player of the Year is also a four-time capped British and Irish Lion, and even made a fleeting appearance on the victorious 2013 tour of Australia for a midweek game against the Brumbies.
After his retirement from international rugby in November 2012, the diminutive winger, standing just 1.70m (5ft 7in) high and weighing 80kg (12st 8lb), signed a contract with Japanese club Mitsubishi Dynaboars.
The Japan adventure is almost at an end, however, with Williams tweeting: “My 3 years in Japan with Mitsubishi have been amazing but after this season it’s time to come home!! #familytime #worktobedone”
He will likely be back in Wales by February at the latest, once Japan’s Top League play-offs are over.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Williams admitted the toughness of the Japanese league was catching up with him, and he would much rather be watching from the sidelines.
“I have played in games where I would much rather be coaching. It’s tough rugby out there. There are a lot of Samoans, Tongans, South Africans, Kiwis,” he told the paper.
“But it has been amazing. I’m so glad I took the opportunity,” Williams said, jokingly adding: “Plus, it’s nice to feel tall for a change.”
The fleet-footed winger also admitted to having his sights set on going on to become a full-time coach, his interest having been blooded in Japan.
“Whenever I do something I want to be the best,” he told the Telegraph. “One of the reasons it was great for me to start in Japan was because I knew I wasn’t going to be the best in the world immediately.
“I wanted to develop myself as a coach, find out what my strengths and weaknesses were. It is not easy coaching in Japan. First of all, you don’t speak the language. The culture is very different.
“You very much have to tell them what you want them to do. It was learning the fundamentals, going back to scratch, learning how to pass, how to tackle, and then going from there. I would like to think it has made a difference.”