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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Dylan James

55 million people watched 'Mo Salah playing rugby' and now he's breaking a new record

You may remember Rhys Williams from his infamous 'Mo Salah playing rugby' video, which went viral two years ago. The Welshman is back in the spotlight again.

The Salford Red Devils winger has already bagged 22 tries for Wales, and is the leading try-scorer for his nation. But this Sunday, the speedster will be recognised not for his try-scoring exploits, but his appearance record.

Williams will become the all-time leading appearance holder when Wales take on France this weekend, walking out in Albi to make it 31 appearances for Cymru.

READ MORE: 'Mo Salah scores rugby try' watched by millions

The 32-year-old will surpass the records held by Jordan James, who played as a prop for the likes of Wigan and Salford, and Ian Watson, who represented Wales between 1996 and 2011.

Rhys is well-known for the viral video of him scoring a length-of-field try for Salford a few years back. The similarities between him then and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah were pretty uncanny thanks to his hairstyle.

In the viral video, Williams is sporting long hair and a thick beard, giving him a strong resemblance to the Premier League top-scorer. It remains one of the most viewed rugby videos on the internet, raking in an incredible 55 million views to date.

Not only will Williams break the Welsh appearance record, but he will do so as captain of the team as Wales take on France at 2:30pm on Sunday. The last time Wales played was in 2018, a whopping four years ago. They beat Ireland 40-8 to clinch a place in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, which is due to take place in October of this year.

The Wales head coach, John Kear, has been full of praise for Williams, saying that "he always puts his hand up and is a very proud Welshman".

"He is absolutely exemplary in camps in regards to a role model and his performances on the field are always so consistent."

“He is a credit to his family, the clubs and the nation he has represented. I can’t speak any more highly of him. He is a top bloke and is getting what he deserves.”

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