Welsh Rugby Legends Reflect on Lessons in Resilience at our 2026 Conference

Welsh rugby stars James Hook, Adam Jones and Shane Williams reflected on lessons in teamwork and resilience during an appearance at our Biennial Delegate Conference earlier this month.

Our #StrongUnionStrongFuture conference took place in the city of Newport and brought together members and guests from across the UK and abroad to speak and vote on motions that set forth the union’s priorities for the next two years.

In a surprise Q&A, the trio of retired rugby stars spoke about their professional working lives and how hard work, resilience, golden opportunities and teamwork helped them to advance their careers.

Hook grew up in Port Talbot and his grandfather, brother and friends all worked at the steelworks. The former rugby player, who played for the Lions alongside Williams and Jones, said his upbringing in South Wales gave him a “good grounding”.

Shane Williams, James Hook and Adam Jones during a Q&A at our #StrongUnionStrongFuture Conference

Reflecting on his entry into the world of rugby, Williams, who grew up around farms in the Swansea area, said he worked in a window factory, job centre and also held down jobs as a baker and labourer before becoming a professional rugby player.

Jones, who is from the South Wales Valleys, also spoke about his upbringing and said rugby was an “out” for him after leaving school with three GCSE’s.

Former Welsh rugby players Shane Williams, James Hook and Adam Jones in the hot seat

Asked about the role of teamwork in their success, Hook said: “The team bonding was just as much on the pitch as it was off the pitch, I think that was really important for us.”

Speaking at our #StrongUnionStrongFuture conference, James Hook said:

“I grew up in Port Talbot, it’s obviously a steelwork town. My grandfather was a boilermaker in the steelworks, my stepfather was a crane driver, my brother worked in the steelworks as well, so a lot of my mates who I played rugby with were steelworkers.

“I played for British Steel, senior rugby, I remember I was actually training on the British Steel pitch when the blast furnace went up, so I’ve got a lot of affiliation with the steelworks.

“Similar to Adam, I think my parents were a big part of my life growing up and giving us that resilience. My parents split up when I was about 13 years-of-age, so my mother worked three jobs and I think you sort of take that onboard then and you realise how hard they work and you take that onboard as a dad of three boys now.

“Before I was a professional rugby player with Shane and Adam I worked many jobs as well, I was a scaffolder, was a bar man… I applied for a meals on wheels driver but I didn’t get that. Definitely living in Port Talbot gives you a good grounding, or gave me a good grounding anyway.”

Shane Williams said:

“My mindset was I do have to work hard and sometimes be a bit resilient and do my best to get on in this life and that definitely got me to where I needed to get to as a rugby player. Even though we’ve been retired a long time, us three boys here, we still work hard, we’d like to think we’ve got the right values…

“People ask me what I miss about playing, it’s not so much the playing at times, it’s the people you do it with, you know, the training sessions where you’re all taking the mickey out of each other.”

Adam Jones said:

“This isn’t meant to sound like a boxer coming out of the Bronx trying to find a new life, but if I didn’t try and knuckle down and start working a bit harder, the values my mother, grandmother, dad would’ve put into me, then I probably would’ve been working in the  Sennybridge army camp, which was gonna be my next port of call.

“I came out of school with three GCSE’s so I wasn’t blessed with the academic side, I got maths English and catering, so it (rugby) was an out for me.”