IN THE final scene of a 1953 Western, a gunfighter rides out of town with a young boy called Joey shouting desperately "Shane! Come back!".

This is of course the film, Shane starring Alan Ladd, but the other Shane who no doubt has met with his own cries of "Shane! Come back!" after he retired from international rugby in 2011 was Shane Williams.

Shane Williams was a sharp shooting try scorer for Wales and the British & Irish Lions.

He scored 71 tries for Neath, 57 for Ospreys, 58 tries for Wales, two test tries for the Lions, six tries for the Lions in non-test matches and in 2008 he was crowned the IRB Player of the Year, an award which he treasures.

The rugby version of Shane is a free spirit, he likes the unstructured game where players play what is front of them and always do it with 'their heads up'.

For him playing rugby union was in his words 'a perfect job' and one which allowed him to do a job he loved.

He didn't love it so much in 2003.

He found himself at a crossroads where he wasn't in the Welsh team and there seemed little chance he would get back in the team.

Shane did get selected for the Wales v New Zealand match in the 2003 Rugby World Cup and he knew as he himself said: "I knew if I did not play well I would never play for Wales again."

In the build up to the match he was ill and had to quarantined for four or five days.

He could not speak to anyone and just waited for the big game.

As he said: "Out on the field I was going to do whatever it took not be dropped ever again.

"I played and scored a try but when I came off at half time I was violently sick.

"I wiped my face and went back out for the second half. I wasn't well afterwards but I did not care, I knew I would not be dropped."

Being a professional sportsman or women is a learning curve on and off the track or field.

Speaking about learning Shane said: "I learnt not to take myself seriously.

"When I put myself under too much pressure it doesn't work well. I realised I had to relax and be confident then I would do well.

"As a rugby player I learnt to be relaxed and be more confident. When I did watch a DVD of myself playing, which I do not really like, I saw I had a glint in my eye and I was doing flips and just enjoying it.

"I had a smile on my face and was enjoying playing.

"I always played rugby for fun. My attitude was to play with a smile on my face. I felt when I was happy I was able to express myself and try and be the best rugby player I could be."

For Shane, playing rugby for Wales gave him a feeling which is the one he misses most following his retirement.

Trying to explain what it was like for him, Shane said: "It was a massive buzz, a huge thrill to run out in front of 70,000 fans, the majority screaming for Wales.

"When I was on the field I could sense the expectation for me to get the ball and do something. I felt the buzz off the crowd and this is one of the things I miss the most now I have retired."

He had told the Welsh coach Warren Gatland and Rob Howley he wanted to retire after the Rugby World Cup in 2011, maybe having won the trophy but it was not be be.

Instead Shane retied for playing for Wales after 11 years by scoring his find international try for Wales against Australia at the Millennium Stadium in 2011.

Stepping down from international rugby was as Shane explained 'was by far the hardest sporting decision I have had to make as I did not want to retire'.

But as he said: "I was feeling the physical bumps more. I was not quite as quick as I was although I was a lot more experienced but I did not have the legs to keep up with the brain.

"I did not want to go on one year and maybe be dropped. But what happened when I left Wales went on to win the Six Nations and that would be a great way to go out (he laughs).

"But I did it right and it felt right."

When he was selected for the 2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa, Shane had high hopes as it came a year after winning the IRB Player of the Year in 2008.

Things did not go well and he was not selected for the first two tests, although he made it to the bench for the second test.

Explaining he said: "I had been IRB Player of the year so there was a lot of expectation going on tour.

"But I tried too hard and found it a very physical tour.

"I realised half way through it, if I did not relax then I was not going to get into the test sides. I didn't make the First Test but was on the bench for the Second Test.

"The coaches gave me a kick up the backside which I needed."

"2009 should have been my last Lions tour. (Shane played one provincial match in 2013 on the tour to Australia).

"We (The Lions) could not win the series. I did score two tries in the Third Test (Lions won 28-9). Not being part of a test series win for the Lions is one of my regrets."

You can learn a lot more about Shane when he comes to The Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre in Taunton on May 4.

The shows starts at 7.30pm.

All tickets £24.

Buy online at tacchi-morris.com or call the box office on 01823 414141.