'He's explosive, dynamic... has X-factor' - the man of few words who could be Wales' next scrumhalf star - Tomos Williams
Let’s get a few facts out of the way first when it comes to Tomos Williams. When he next pulls on the red jersey he will become Treorchy’s most capped player, overtaking Andrew Bishop, on 17 caps. He represented Wales at basketball at under-16s level.
From a family of gifted sportsmen, the biggest influence on his rugby career, bar none, has been Steve, his dad. He has a cockapoo named Rollo and the two are regularly found pounding the streets of Treorchy.
Like pretty much every rugby player, his spare time is spent going for a coffee with the boys. Another fact you may not know is he is not overly fond of talking about himself. Verbal diarrhoea is not a problem. An economy with words is a gift – certainly with this journalist – that could see him aiming for the Brevity Olympics in 2020.
So, Act One. Could he elaborate on the following to RugbyPass. His comprehensive skillset? “Nothing is perfect in my game, and I don’t think it ever will be.” His biggest disappointment? “The World Cup semi-final. I don’t want the feeling of that loss again.”
Okay. How about describing what you try to achieve over 80 minutes? Putting the ball through hands, offloading, box-kicking, you know, what is your point of difference? “I don’t think too much. I just play what I see in front of me.”
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Does he get nervous before games? “Not really. That only happens if you’re not confident in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one will believe in you.”
Right, then. What about your bombastic handling skills? “That’s my basketball background but it was never a viable option because there is only one winner in Wales and that’s rugby. I don’t practice anything particularly. It comes naturally, I suppose.”
How about opposition scrum-halves, do you admire anyone in the game? “I don’t want to talk about other nines. I want to be my own player.” And how about leaning on anyone in and around the camp. “Not really. Once you’re on the field, it’s up to you, no one else.”
You catch the drift. He’s not one for wasting words, running off at tangents, and filling the air with waffle. Responses are straight, to the point and curt. The problem for Williams is that his performances are meriting more and more words.
Exhibit one: Wales v Australia, Tokyo, 2019. With 76:29 on the clock, Matt Toomua hoofs the ball upfield. One of the smallest players on the pitch, Williams tracks the ball in the night sky, leaps balletically sideways a metre and pads the ball delicately back into play. It looks like it’s something he has practiced thousands of times before. He hasn’t.
Exhibit two: Wales v Georgia, Toyota, 2019. Williams gathers the ball 40 metres out, points with his right hand towards the touchline as if to tell the Georgian defender where he is going but he steps off his right foot to evade left-wing Giorgi Kveseladze, bobs under full-back Soso Matiashvili like a super middleweight in his pomp, steps inside the burly Levan Chilachava before offloading with one hand into the outstretched palms of George North as two defenders commit. Five defenders taken out in 10 metres. A set play? Not on your nelly.
Exhibit three: Lyon v Cardiff Blues, November 2018. Ellis Jenkins intercepts from 60 metres and sees Williams screaming for the ball on his right. The scrum-half gathers the ball, steps outside, then inside, then out again to leave Lyon’s Rudi Wolf considering an early retirement before theatrically diving in the corner. It’s a finish any wing would be purring about.
Exhibit four: Cardiff Blues v Pau, December 2019. With Cardiff leading 12-10 and nearly half-an-hour gone, Williams shapes to pass but in the same movement, dinks the ball with the outside of his right boot over the heads of the Pau defence to a waiting Jarrod Evans to skip over for an easy score. Impudent doesn’t cover it.
One of the core cultural values in the Cardiff Blues Way is #Family. It's everything to us & that's why we brought Nick's mum over for Christmas.
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We could go on. The rip and strip on Charles Ollivon to save Wales exiting the World Cup in the quarter-finals, the 55-metre disallowed solo try against Zebre which saw him feint, draw and dummy five defenders before diving in the corner. Williams is no run-of-the-mill nine.
Onto Act Two. Someone who is more loquacious on the subject of our erstwhile scrum-half than the man himself is Richie Rees, who works with him day-in, day-out. The former Wales scrum-half is now his backs coach at the Cardiff Blues.
Rees lets out a little chuckle when he discusses our cursory chat. “Tommy’s a good guy. He calls a spade a spade.”
Rees is well placed to analyse his gifts and unique skillsets he brings to the game? “The majority of things Tommy does is all down to instinct. He’s a natural ball player, through his multi-sport background and he doesn’t spend hours and hours on the training field religiously practicing his offloading.”
Williams came through the system at Coleg Y Cymoedd and Rees remembers exactly where he was when he first laid eyes upon him. “He was playing up a year for the Wales under-20 and I was doing commentary for the BBC. After I got home, I said to my missus, ‘There’s this guy coming through who is going to be an exceptional rugby player’. That was Tomos.”
A lot of what Williams does is not scripted. Far from it, he plays on his wits, on impulse. “If you saw the try against Pau, where he chipped over the top to Jarrod Evans, that’s not something we practiced in the week. That’s the off-the-cuff. He does it simply because he has the ability.”
With such an instinctive game, Rees says there are drawbacks, but the positives outweigh the negatives. “Naturally errors happen with that sort of skillset. The majority of the time, if it’s a 60-40 gamble, you’re happy to go with it. There are two types of player.
“Take Leigh Halfpenny. He’s 85 to 90 per cent across the board – he rarely ever makes an error. His standout would be his goal kicking but if you look at Tommy, he has real X-factor. He’s explosive, dynamic, gets his hands through the ball. He’s got points of difference that other players simply don’t have.”
Reports have emerged in Wales regarding the futures of Liam Williams and Ross Moriartyhttps://t.co/KxrSzp5sjE
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As his career progresses – Williams turns 25 on New Year’s Day – Rees says it’s important not to coach the ability out of him. “Sometimes he gets frustrated. Say if we have a three-fix strike play, sometimes he’ll go on his own but it usually works out. If it’s repeated skill error, that is when it becomes an issue but the guy is a box of tricks. He will try every different thing going because he has that innate confidence to do it.”
Williams’ devil-may-care, gung-ho nature makes coaching him a challenge but Rees wouldn’t have it any other way. “You go into the week with general themes. You don’t overload them with more than two or three ideas and as long as they are sticking on the same path they are free to express themselves.
“I did a session this week and we chatted afterwards about a speculative pass he had made. I had just watched it back on the laptop and because he shaped to pass out of the back, and then switched his body angle to pop a short ball out the front, the short runner wasn’t expecting it. I can’t blame him. For me as a coach, it’s just working with him and figuring out how we can make him better.”
With 16 caps in little over 18 months at national level, his career progression is being closely monitored in the highest echelons of Welsh rugby. Indeed, Rees has chewed the fat with Stephen Jones about how his development should look in 2020 and beyond.
Amanda Blanc makes for an interesting PGB appointment in Welsh regional rugbyhttps://t.co/95SrJkFmfG
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“I met Stephen last week and we both came to the easy conclusion that he is one of the two best scrum-halves in Wales – there’s no doubt about that. The next step is how can we get him to be the starting Welsh No9.
“I know from personal experience, coming on with half an hour to go, is very different to managing and starting a game. You have to get consistency, and he knows that. I said to Steve, he is a regular starter at the Blues for the last 18 months but he is only going to get that experience with Wales by being put in that position.”
With Rhys Webb still ensconced in France indefinitely having turned 31 earlier this month, Williams could be a part of the Welsh set-up for the next seven or eight years and Rees feels there is yet room for growth. “For me, the exciting thing is that being around good players he has a couple of years where he’ll only get better.”
As for his communication around his contemporaries, Rees says he understands the game intimately. “Whatever persona he gives off, he is straight as an arrow around his delivery in a team environment. For instance, it really helps Jarrod that No 9 can see the same tactical plays.
Massive congratulations to one of our @tomosgwilliams on his selection. Incredible achievement , and all of us here at Treorchy RFC will be supporting you and the team every step of the way ????? https://t.co/etfSPc7jV5
— Treorchy RFC ? (@TreorchyZebras) September 1, 2019
“Personally I like leaning on him in meetings because he gets a feel for the group. Tomos always gives you a straight answer. Sometimes I’ll prep him, so rather than me doing all the talking, he’ll fire away to the rest of the backs, no problem.”
Where Rees feels Williams’ game has come on most is in his basics, something which pleases him. “Over the last year and a half especially, there’s been a big improvement from him in the game’s fundamentals. His kicking and passing have skyrocketed from say four years ago. That’s down to hard work.”
The final piece of his make-up is Williams’ pugilistic attitude and ability to front up to players. “What sets him apart from other No9s is the edge he brings to his game. He’s like Gareth (Davies) in that regard. It helps from a forwards perspective because he doesn’t mind driving them around the park, patrolling the fringes and challenging those edge defenders.
“If you watch how he is utilised by us and Wales defensively, it’s because defence coaches are prepared to put him in the front line. He’s not the biggest bloke, say 5ft 10 and 13st, but he’s fearless. Take last year at the Arms Park, Gareth Davies looked to take a quick tap penalty and Tomos lined him up. The collision between the two was seismic. He’s so dynamic that he can get away with it.”
"My boy was playing under-11s rugby and we could barely get nine or ten players to come out and play whereas with football they were scratching two sides together." @ShaneWilliams11 talks regional rugby decline with @heagneyl ???https://t.co/opEhls2mH2
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 1, 2019
Davies isn’t the only scrum-half Williams will be going toe-to-toe with in the next few weeks as the Six Nations loom. First up will be Aled Davies in the game against the Ospreys this weekend and it will then be the fast-improving Rhodri Williams on Boxing Day.
Williams’ only focus will be on emerging victorious. The epitome of a player doing his talking on the pitch, this jack-in-the-box No9 will doubtless be befuddling defences, outfoxing journalists and thrilling Welsh crowds for years to come.
There’s no doubting Tomos, a star in the making.
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Comments on RugbyPass
I remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
3 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
3 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
3 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
7 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
26 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to comments