'I was running during pre-season and knew it just wasn’t right' - Liam Williams on going under the knife
Liam Williams believes a groin operation has finally solved a recurring injury problem that threatened to disrupt his bid to help Saracens win another Premiership and European Champions Cup double and secure a place in the Wales squad for next year’s World Cup in Japan.
Williams missed 12 weeks of last season after sustaining the injury in Wales’s Autumn test with Georgia and saw a number of experts who tried to get him back into action without the need of surgery. A shoulder injury then made it a first season of real frustration despite the British and Irish Lions star picking up a Premiership winners’ medal with Saracens. He was reduced to the role of spectator at Twickenham as Saracens defeated Exeter 27-10 in the play-off final.
Then, during Saracens pre-season training programme, Williams was struck down by the same groin injury and this time the management teams of Wales, Saracens and the player himself opted for surgery. It has proved to be the right call with Williams signalling his return to action with a 25 minute hat-trick as Saracens defeated newly promoted Bristol 44-23 last weekend. While he admits the total distance covered in scoring those three tries was “only 12 metres”, it was a significant step forward for one of the most exciting attacking talents in European rugby.
During his latest fitness battle Williams has seen his Wales captain Sam Warburton forced to retire due to recurring injuries and Saracens team mate Duncan Taylor ruled out until June by a double knee ligament rupture. There have been other high profile injuries in the opening weeks of the new season and Williams accepts that while the surgery has got him back onto the pitch, nothing can be taken for granted.
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Williams told RugbyPass: “You have to enjoy every minute of what you love doing because you never know when it could be taken away. I started pre-season after taking a couple of weeks off and the groin became a problem again and so I went under the knife. There is a bit of a scar but it’s not a problem and I had the operation exactly eight weeks ago.
“This is what we do as our job on a daily basis – it’s what we have chosen to do in life. I wake up in the morning and love to get into the gym and throw a few weights around and you really do need to live in the moment.
“Operations and injuries mean you just have to work to get back to fitness and there are lots of ups and downs in rugby. Having to do your rehab on your own and not being with the rest of the boys is tough but that’s life. The club have been really helpful and family and friends have been great and it’s about getting your head screwed on and down to that rehab work to get back as soon as possible.
“The groin injury first happened last year against Georgia and I was out for 12 weeks and then I injured my shoulder which meant I missed the play-off semi-final and final with Sarries. I was running during pre-season and knew it just wasn’t right and so that is why we went for the operation.
“Now, I just want to play and I do not want the same thing to happen again, having missed so much of last season. I haven’t been looking at in terms of “it’s happened now so it’s a year away from the World Cup”. I just want to be available for Saracens and Wales. I would love to win the Premiership and European Champions Cup in the same season and that is what we are working towards. We scraped through the pool stage in Europe last season and Leinster have set the standard for everyone.”
Besides helping Saracens repeat their 2016 Premiership and European double, Williams will also be involved in Wales’s Autumn tests with Scotland, Australia, Tonga and South Africa and the selection battle will be fierce with Josh Adams, Steff Evans, Hallam Amos, Williams, Leigh Halfpenny and George North vying for the back three starting places.
Williams’ next game is against former Gowerton school friend and Wales No10 Dan Biggar and he said “It was great to score the hat-trick against Bristol and it was a case of being in the right place at the right time.
“I didn’t have to do much for them! I am now really looking forward to playing against Dan (Biggar) at Northampton and having a lager with him after the game. There are no easy games in the Premiership.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The 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?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 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
3 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 commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to comments