Analysis: The return of Liam Williams
Two and a half years after he left Scarlets as a Pro12 winner, Liam Williams returned to the Welsh region a little earlier than expected as his now-former club Saracens worked to balance their books.
The suspension of rugby while nations work to get the spread of Covid-19 under control has meant Scarlets fans haven’t seen him back in action yet. However, Williams is definitely a case where we can look back to look forward.
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Williams was a superb player when he left Scarlets, as he immediately proved on the British and Irish Lions series in New Zealand that summer, but he has only added to his ability and range since and was one of the best fullbacks in the world in 2019 before injury struck.
It’s no secret, for instance, that former Wales coach Warren Gatland sometimes worried about his indiscipline. As recently as the 2018 Six Nations, Gatland substituted Williams before he could return from the sin bin out of concern he might earn a second yellow. That’s one area where he has improved, with the fullback/winger giving away only a single penalty in twelve important games for Wales during 2019.
RugbyPass examines his last two games in a Scarlets jersey and his exploits since then to consider what the region’s fans can expect from Williams in the future.
Liam Williams: the attacker
Williams has always been a lovely runner and, from early in his career, has been compared with Wales and Lions great JPR Williams because of his counter-attacking ability. The space allowed to a fullback creates opportunities in attack but Wiliams is equally devastating in attack on the wing.
For Scarlets, under then-head coach Wayne Pivac, he was often used as a finisher on the wing, as part of the balance Pivac liked across his back three (ballplayer, linkman, finisher), rather than a fullback. He showed his threat as a finisher in the Pro12 final against Munster, scoring the first of Scarlets’ six tries that afternoon.
Scarlets had an advantage, so there was no risk in Rhys Patchell’s speculative kick but, such was Williams’ form at the time, it would have been a good tactic even without that safety net.
Later, he popped up on the opposite wing to confuse the Munster defence, drawing two defenders as Scott Williams took advantage of that confusion to put Gareth Davies through for their third try in 27 minutes.
Just after leaving Scarlets, he gave the most well-known example of his threat in attack for the British and Irish Lions, setting up one of the greatest Lions tries ever scored from fullback in a move straight out of his former team’s playbook.
He didn’t lose his touch at Saracens either, scoring 19 tries in 31 games as we won a European cup and domestic double. Here, his threat as a runner and finisher from the wing is clear.
Liam Williams: the aerial king
It’s well-known that, before his break in rugby, Williams worked as a scaffolder and his head for heights and tenacity are often raised in connection with his former career. Indeed, fans at Parc Y Scarlets always knew the “bomb-diffuser”, as he nicknamed himself, was a safe pair of hands when needed.
That aspect of his game has only improved and he is now surely one of the best in the world under the high ball. In the 2019 Six Nations, England had embarrassed both Ireland and France in their opening fixtures with their precision execution of a kicking game plan. Against Wales, with Williams roaming the backfield, they had far less success.
In fact, Wales eventually secured the victory with their superior aerial game and it was no surprise that Williams featured as they did. Josh Adams’ superb take and finish grabs the eye but the presence of Williams, chasing down the high ball, adds an extra element for the defending Elliot Daly to consider and makes Adams’ job just that little bit easier.
Saracens, who have a superb kicking game, have not been shy about exploiting Williams’ talent in the air. In the 2019 Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final against Glasgow Warriors, Saracens found themselves conceding the first try. They retaliated immediately when Alex Goode, stepping in as fly half, chipped the ball for the carefully loitering Williams who made no mistake in getting his team back on track for what turned out to be a rout.
Liam Williams: the clutch man
In big moments, the best players come through. Williams, like Scarlets, might be better-known for his attacking prowess but he can put in a shift in defence too. In fact, Scarlets had the second-meanest defence in the Pro12 in their title winning season and Williams was a big part of that.
Here, he demonstrates his ability to make an impact in defence when it matters. As Leinster intercept the ball and break, he tracks back and successfully steals the ball, keeping the Irish favourites out and maintaining Scarlets’ lead.
He has continued to use his turnover ability to thwart Leinster in tournament finals, making a similarly crucial intervention for Saracens in the Heineken Champions Cup 2019 final. The game was poised at 10-10, with Saracens having dragged themselves back from 10-0 down, and there were 48 minutes on the clock.
Williams was the last man and, as such, cannot afford a mistake. He reads the play, steps out of the defensive line with perfect timing, and tackles Garry Ringrose. He then gets back onto his feet and successfully jackals the ball.
Saracens dominated the remainder of the match, scoring an unanswered 10 further points. Much is often made of so-called momentum in big games but Williams’ efforts here would seem like a good example where a single action can shift the outcome of a game.
Of course, Williams is a fullback so the aerial and kicking aspects of the game are his bread and butter. But, unlike fellow Scarlet Leigh Halfpenny, he is not known for his goal-kicking. When it mattered, however, that didn’t stop him.
Here, with Steff Evans sent off just before half-time, Scarlets have been defending their lead for the duration of the second half. Their fly-half and main kicker, Rhys Patchell was substituted earlier so Williams is the designated kicker when the referee awards them a penalty. Despite the pressure of the RDS crowd, Williams calmly slots the ball to stretch the lead to 9 points.
He would go on to successfully kick another penalty, taking the game away entirely from Leinster. For good measure, he converted two tries in the final against Munster as well.
Liam Williams: the total package?
So what can Scarlets fans expect from the return of one of their favourites? A complete player, in attack and defence.
How exactly he shows that depends on the playing style new head coach Glenn Delaney implements but the Scarlets management have been keen to maintain continuity in terms of the approach on the field. There is every chance Williams will get to show the full range of the gifts he has honed in his time away.
Comments on RugbyPass
Beautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to comments