Williams could be the missing piece after move

GLOUCESTER have confirmed the headline signing of Wales international scrum-half Tomos Williams who will join the Premiership club from United Rugby Championship side Cardiff.

Williams, pictured, who has won 53 caps for Wales after making his debut against South Africa in Washington D.C. in 2018, is understood to have signed a three-year contract with the Cherry and Whites.

Insiders at the club are confident the 29-year-old veteran of two Rugby World Cups is the key missing ingredient to getting Gloucester’s starstudded backline fully firing, with a decision over whether to stick or twist on Scottish international fly-half Adam Hastings considered the other key recruitment decision ahead of the 2024/25 campaign with director of rugby George Skivington known to have spoken to other international stand-offs.

Williams has been at cash-strapped Cardiff for 11 seasons, joining their academy at the age of 18, amassing over a century of appearances in Blue and Black.

Skivington, commented: “Everyone at the club is thrilled to welcome a player of Tomos’ calibre.

“Anybody that has watched him play before, whether that be for Cardiff or for Wales, knows how much of an attacking threat he can be, and we’re excited to see what he can bring to Gloucester.”

Cardiff have made no secret of the fact they hoped to retain the services of Williams but were unable to compete with the salary offer from Gloucester, within the current budgets set for the Welsh regions.

Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt said: “Naturally we are very disappointed to be losing a player of Tomos’ quality.

“As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, he has been absolutely brilliant since I’ve returned here, both in terms of his performance and leadership on the pitch to the way he conducts himself and drives standards throughout the environment.

“We made our best possible offer but given the current financial landscape and salary cap in Wales, he has unfortunately decided to move on.

“While disappointing, it is understandable that Tomos wants to experience something else in his career, and given he has been here for more than a decade, he certainly deserves that.

“He was the guy that got us back into the European Challenge Cup final against Gloucester, he has contributed a huge amount to the club since making his debut and will leave with our very best wishes.”