Wales’ forgotten man facing a big decision at end of the season
HE’S been compared to the New Zealand star who conspired with Dan Carter to rip Sir Clive Woodward’s 2005 Lions to shreds.
But the forgotten man of Welsh rugby hasn’t been seen in a Wales jersey since being a key man in the move which brought a special try against the All Blacks two years ago.
Just one week later, Hadleigh Parkes was establishing himself as Wales’ first-choice number 12 on his try-scoring debut, and Owen Williams would not be seen again.
Warren Gatland did pick the Gloucester midfielder in his squad for the following Six Nations but blamed his non-selection in the match-day 23 on him not being available for all of the Welsh squad’s training sessions because he was with an English club.
But the fact Dan Biggar was also playing club rugby across the border and also couldn’t attend all of them didn’t prevent Gatland naming the Northampton Saints’ at No.10 for some of the European title race,
Williams had made a favourable impression against Australia and New Zealand in 2017 as Wales briefly experimented with a dual playmaker system with him at inside-centre and Biggar at outside-half.
It culminated with one of the best tries of the Gatland era directly from a set-piece after flanker Aaron Shingler provided quick ball from the top of a line-out against the All Blacks.
Scrum-half Rhys Webb passed directly to Williams, who acted as pivot for a move out of the topdrawer, with Biggar looping behind him as No.8 Taulupe Faletau and outside-centre Scott Williams ran decoy lines to draw the New Zealand defence.
A flat pass from Biggar put Hallam Amos, who had come in off the rightwing, sprinting on an angle through a gap.
Biggar looped Amos to take a return pass with Scott Williams arcing around both of them to score.
Owen Williams’ coach at Gloucester, South Africa’s 2007 World Cup winning player Johan Ackermann, believes his player’s best position is as a second play-maker, comparing him to Aaron Mauger.
It was 45-times capped Mauger who worked in tandem with No.10 great Carter as the All Blacks hammered Woodward’s Lions 21-3 and 48-18 to win their Test series with a rubber remaining.
Mauger was an essential figure in the development of Carter after earlier causing opponents a multitude of problems with his clever footballing skill and vision alongside another famed New Zealand outside-half great in Andrew Mehrtens.
Williams’ contract at Kingsholm is up at the end of the season and he will have to return to Wales if he has long-term international ambitions under the Welsh Rugby Union’s eligibility criteria because he’s 57 caps shy of the required 60 for exiles.
Ackermann was non-committal about the future of the former Scarlets player, who would be a handy signing for any of the Welsh regions if the price was right with Williams having been on huge money at Gloucester following a successful stint at Leicester Tigers.
“As it stands it’s for Owen to just get back on the pitch and see where he is. He will be back December or January,” said the former Springbok lock.
“I felt really sore in my heart when he got injured because it was a freak accident in training.
“Then time will tell. Once we get him back on the pitch there will be a discussion between the club and him if he wants to prolong his career at Gloucester.”
Williams, who turns 28 next February and should be entering his prime, will have to take a pay cut if he returns to Wales, but he is also unlikely to secure a similar deal as his current one in England after struggling for success at Gloucester.
His future could depend on whether Wayne Pivac shows an interest in him as a second playmaker in the more expansive attacking style set to be introduced by the new Wales coach.
NICKY Smith leads the return of three Wales World Cup players back into the ranks of the beleaguered Ospreys when they face Munster in today’s Heineken Champions Cup encounter in Swansea (5.30 pm).
Smith, Bradley Davies and Aled Davies all feature on the bench as the Welsh region look to put a testing few weeks behind them.
They are not there yet, mind, with big guns such as Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and George North yet to return to training after their exertions during the Rugby World Cup.
There are two changes from the side beaten at home by Southern Kings last weekend.
Tom Williams comes in for Lesley Klim on the left wing and Ma’afu Fia takes over from Tom Botha at tight-head prop.
The bench does look stronger, with the three Wales players backed by Gheorge Gajion, Sam Cross and the promising Kieran Williams. Ifan Phillips shadows Scott Otten at hooker while James Hook covers the fly-half and full-back positions.
But Munster will arrive expecting a victory.
The hope for Clarke will be that the Ospreys forwards can at least prove competitive.
They enjoyed 73 percent of the possession against Kings and delivered a glut of ball the week before against Connacht, but in both games the Welsh region lacked penetration behind the scrum, with injuries and unavailabilities proving ruinous to their efforts.
Things will improve when the likes of George North, Luke Morgan , Owen Watkin and Dan Evans resume, but that won’t help the situation this weekend.
Munster will say otherwise, but the probability is they will expect a bonuspoint victory.
The Ospreys will need to guard against the counter-attacking skills of the talented Mike Haley from fullback and Conor Murray will look to boss matters from scrum-half, while up front Peter O’Mahony’s pack will be abrasive from the first whistle, notwithstanding that they are missing the injured Dave Kilcoyne.
They include Tadhg Beirne, Arno Botha and Alby Mathewson on the bench.
“Munster are coming pretty much fully loaded, but, for me personally,