Uncertainty tough on players in Wales – Williams

Tomos Williams has sympathy for players who are suffering as a result of uncertainty over the club game in Wales.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has proposed a domestic restructure that could mean the number of professional clubs is cut from the existing four – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – to two.

The consultation process is scheduled to finish on the opening day of the United Rugby Championship (URC) season on 26 September, with a decision expected at the end of October.

There are no such concerns over the border, where scrum-half Williams is preparing for his second season with Gloucester after joining from Cardiff last summer.

Williams, who made 146 Cardiff appearances and helped them win the 2018 European Challenge Cup, feels for players worried about losing their jobs.

“I am keeping one eye on it. I’ve got a lot of mates still playing in Wales, at Cardiff and the other regions,” the 30-year-old said.

“I care about Wales and care about those boys, so hopefully they can get it sorted pretty soon. It’s not a nice position to be in for a lot of those boys – it’s the uncertainty of what is going to happen.

Williams, from Treorchy, is no stranger to Welsh rugby sagas and was a member of the team that threatened strike action before the 2023 Six Nations game with England.

The WRU’s big decision is scheduled to be announced after the end of the first block of the URC and before the autumn internationals.

“It’s easy to say that you just have to worry about playing, but that’s easier when you don’t have family or a mortgage,” said Williams, who will be back for the November Tests after suffering a hamstring injury playing for the British & Irish Lions in the summer.

While Williams is watching from Gloucester, former Wales and Ospreys forward Jonathan Thomas has returned from England.

The 42-year-old will lead Swansea in Super Rygbi Cymru after previously coaching at Bristol, Worcester and Ealing Trailfinders.

Thomas was at the Whites at the start of the regional rugby era in 2003 and went on to win four titles and an Anglo-Welsh Cup with Ospreys.

“The players who are international players won’t worry too much because they know they’re going to end up with a team, whatever that looks like,” said Thomas.

“It’s the young players or the players that aren’t international players. It’s terrible, there’s a level of anxiety because it’s a short career, there’s no guarantees and an injury could stop you at any time.

“The uncertainty is not helpful for players to bring the best out in themselves.

“It’s also not good for the recruitment. When you’re trying to plan and recruit as a coach, as a head coach or as a CEO, it’s an impossible job if you don’t know what the format and the finances are going to look like.