Career
O'Neill was capped eleven times for the Wales rugby union national team and twice for the Wales national league team. He is often registered in many sources under the name Billy Neill or Neil, though in more recent references he is named as O'Neill. Educated at St Peter's School in Roath, O'Neill played rugby for St. Peters RFC. O'Neill was first selected to play international rugby for Wales in a game against Scotland as part of the 1904 Home Nations Championship.
O'Neill was reselected for the very next game against Ireland, which Wales narrowly lost. O'Neill missed the next Wales game, the historic match against the first touring All Blacks, but was available for Cardiff against the same touring team ten days later. He also missed the Wales game against the first touring South African team, though was fit and well to represent both Glamorgan and Cardiff against the Springboks.
Glamorgan lost 6-3, but the Cardiff team caused the biggest upset of the tour by outclassing the South Africans 17-0, only their second loss of the tour. O'Neill was back in the Welsh squad the next season playing two of the games in the 1907 Home Nations Championship and was in all four matches of the 1908 tournament. In 1908, O'Neill turned his back on the amateur rugby union game by switching to professional rugby league.
He joined Warrington, playing his first game for the club on 17 October 1908. After just two months as a professional rugby player he was selected for the Wales national league team, in an encounter with England at Broughton. He played one more international match, again against England, at Wakefield in 1909.
International matches played
Wales (rugby union)
England 1905, 1907, 1908
France 1908
Ireland 1904, 1905, 1907, 1908
Scotland 1904, 1905, 1908
Wales (rugby league)
England 1908, 1909.
