Williams steps up to take reins from Stewart

CAMBRIDGE RUFC will have a new man at the helm next season following Ross Stewart’s decision to leave the club due to his increased workload at Northampton Saints academy.

Stewart’s replacement at the mid-table National One club will be Welshman Richie Williams, the current Hungary national team performance director and coach of England Counties U20s.

Williams, a former Chinnor, Aberavon and Wales Students fly-half, has also coached club rugby in Belgium and at Amersham & Chiltern but this will be his highest-level appointment yet in club rugby.

“National One is a tough league, but a lot of the experiences that I’ve had through coaching the Counties 20s and latterly Hungary has put me in a good position to work at this level,” he said.

“I’m really pleased to be going to a pretty well-established club like Cambridge and to follow on from the good coaches that have worked there previously.

“Cambridge is an historical rugby club and, with their location, they are able to attract quite a lot of players to the area. There is massive potential to strengthen the club’s position in National One and possibly go higher longer term.

“The management and executive committee are quite young and forward thinking and the alignment between on-field and offfield seems to be positive.”

Williams intends to continue with his Hungary role until the summer and would like to stay on as a consultant if his Cambridge commitments allow him to do so.