Fissler Confidential: Liam Williams' club future up in the air

Wales full-back Liam Williams could move to the Pro D2 next season as he keeps his dream alive of winning 100 caps for his country following his departure from former Premiership and European champions Saracens.

Williams, who will celebrate his 35th birthday next April, has not played since suffering a knee injury when Wales started their Six Nations campaign with a defeat to France in January.

And despite being linked with a return to Wales, some Pro D2 clubs still have money to spend, and despite his recent injury record, they are looking at him with interest, and a deal could soon be on the table.

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Sale Sharks have won their tug of war with Racing 92 and will be keeping Rob Du Preez in the North-West for next season, which will be the final year of his contract.

The Hauts-de-Seine outfit had made him a huge offer to replace Owen Farrell, but the Sharks claim that there was not enough time to find a replacement, so they told the Top 14 outfit, who lost Dan Lancaster and Tristan Tedder, no deal.

It forced Racing to make a move for Zebre’s Argentine ace Gerónimo Prisciantelli, 25, who made 51 appearances in three seasons playing for the United Rugby Championship outfit.

Johan Ackermann is in pole position to take over from Jake White at the Bulls and will have talks next week when he returns home from the World Rugby Under-20 Championship.

The former Gloucester boss is available almost immediately to take over at the Bulls, who last week parted company with White ahead of the new United Rugby Championship campaign, which gets underway at the end of September.

The Bulls have tried to tempt Johann van Graan and Jacques Nienaber home and are understood to have run into problems with a bid for Franco Smith, who has one more season on his Glasgow Warriors deal.

Former Scotland lock Jamie Hodgson, who is now a free agent after a short-term deal with Bristol Bears, ran out and could stay in the Premiership next season with Newcastle Falcons among the clubs interested in signing him.

Falcons boss Steve Diamond, having haemorrhaged another two players from his wafer-thin squad this week, is believed to be looking at former Edinburgh ace Hodgson, 27, as he looks to get some fresh blood into the squad.

But he faces competition from Brive and Glasgow Warriors, who have also expressed an interest, as have Stade Montois, but a deal with the Pro D2 outfit seems unlikely as he wants to continue playing at the highest possible level.

Former Scotland loosehead Oli Kebble, who has left Pro D2 Oyonnax, could be offered the chance to remain in France next season with Nice, who are building for a quick return to the second tier.

Durban-born Kebble, 33, who played over 100 games for Glasgow Warriors and won 12 Scotland caps, is keen on a move to the Premiership now that he is a free agent.

But Nice are looking at him with some serious intent and are weighing up making a move, hoping to grab themselves a bargain-basement mid-summer signing.

Grenoble are locked in talks with the Ospreys over a move for former Wales Under-20 lock James Fender, who still has another year left to run on his contract with his hometown club.

Grenoble freed up a non-JIFF place for Fender, who has been offered a two-year contract, by letting Georgian outside centre Giorgi Kveseladze leave. He could be on the move to the third-tier Nationale or return to Black Lion.

They are keen on signing Fender, 23, who made 13 appearances for the Ospreys last season, but are just trying to get a reduction in the transfer fee that is being demanded by the South Wales side.

Bristol Bears are set to confirm that they have landed Georgia back row Luka Ivanishvili after his departure from the Black Lions was confirmed by the Georgian Rugby Union.

The Bears have only added Max Pepper and Tom Jordan to their squad from last season and have earmarked Ivanishvili, who can play anywhere across the back row, to replace Jake Heenan.

Ivanishvili, who has 23 caps, stands at 6ft 2in and weighs 16 and a half stone, came off the bench against Ireland last week and was in the side that won the REC Final against Spain in March.

The Highlanders have moved quickly to snap up David Kidwell, who helped Michael Cheika mastermind Leicester Tigers reaching the Premiership Final against Bath last season.

Kidwell, 48, who joined the Tigers in February, is replacing Dave Dillon, who left the Dunedin-based outfit when his three-year deal ran out at the end of last season and wasn’t offered a new deal to continue next season.

Kidwell, who is working under Eddie Jones with the Japanese national team, has signed a two-year deal with the Highlanders to work with another Brave Blossoms boss, Jamie Joseph.

Major League Rugby outfit Seattle Seawolves could be facing a battle to keep hold of assistant coach Ian Watson, who only moved to the club last November.

The former Salford City Reds and Huddersfield Giants boss is being linked with a possible return to Super League as a replacement for Danny McGuire, who has parted ways with Castleford Tigers, where he was head coach.

Watson could find the opportunity to return to Super League hard to resist and redeem himself after his departure from the Giants twelve months ago, after losing eight of nine games.

Former Bristol Bears winger Siva Naulago could be on the move across the Severn Bridge next season following his departure from the Ashton Gate-based Premiership outfit at the end of last season.

Bristol Live are reporting that Naulago, 34, who scored 20 tries in 43 games for the Bears, is having talks with a Welsh United Rugby Championship side about a deal for next season.

It is being reported that Naulago, who is in the British Army and played for Hull in Super League before joining the Bears four years ago, is keen to retain his base in the West Country.