GLANAMAN born Shane Williams has swapped the oval ball for the round one to play for a Gaelic football club in Ireland.

The former Wales rugby played at Donegal’s Glenswilly GAA club on Thursday, January 12, as part of RTE’s The Toughest Trade which explores the lives of GAA athletes and how they compare to their professional counterparts across the world.

Despite putting on an excellent display, the playing conditions could only be described as tough.

Glenswilly chairman Eddie Crawford described Williams as a "lovely lad".

"Sometimes you don't' know what to expect but he was a real sound genuine lad," Mr Crawford said. 

"He bedded in well and took to it like a duck to water.

"We played him up front because he's fast and he's a very determined person."

Despite nearing his 40th birthday and quitting international rugby in 2011, Williams didn't look out of place according to the chairman.

He added: "We weren't going easy on him, he was doing strength and conditioning at 6am in the morning and he did everything we did.

"Overall he was very pleased and happy.

"I think he was tired after a hectic week but he enjoyed the experience and said he would come back to Donegal. We made him very welcome."

Before the encounter, Williams told RTE that he expected a physical challenge.

Williams, who remains Wales’ all time leading try scorer with 58 tries in 91 appearances, said:"I'm not coming in with any expectation that it will be easy, that's for sure.

"I know that it's a physical sport and a highly skilled one, so I expect that I'm in for a hard time, and that's exciting too.

"I want the boys to make it as hard as possible for me, so I can know what I'm capable of.”

Although he was faced with a blizzard at St Mary's, the winger chipped in with four points to help his teammates defeat rivals Convoy.

After the match, Glenswilly GAA praised Williams for an impressive debut.