By David Williams
They may be queuing up to take his place, but Liam Williams has a message for all the Welsh full back wannabees – ‘I’m not ready to give up my shirt’.
The 34-year-old Saracens star is on a mission to reach 100 caps for this country and to carry on being Warren Gatland’s No.1 bomb diffuser at the back.
He missed the 2024 Six Nations while he was away playing in Japan but returned to tour Australia in the summer.
Now, he is set to be one of Gatland’s first picks for ‘Mission Impossible’ in Paris on Friday night when Wales take on France in the first game of the 2025 Six Nations.
Cardiff’s Cam Winnett filled Williams shoes last year, winning nine caps, but has been left out of this squad.
That leaves the two Scarlets wings, Blair Murray and Ellis Mee, as well as Gloucester’s Josh Hathaway as Williams’ main contenders for the No.15 shirt.
Hathaway posted a picture of himself as a 12-year-old with Williams, getting his autograph when he was playing for Scarlets, as he lined up alongside him in Australia in the summer.
A dream debut
Liam Williams in a @Saracens shirt. Scoring tries. You know it makes sense #InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/cDuunWdmJH
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) December 15, 2024
“Seeing that picture of Josh and me does make me feel old. But I’m happy to be mentoring some of the younger guys, especially the back three guys,” said Williams, who made his Wales debut back in 2012 against the Barbarians.
“I’ve done the same thing at Saracens. I’m speaking with these guys, not always about rugby stuff, but off-field stuff as well and I always tell them, ‘if you have any questions that you would like to chat about anything, I am here’.
“But I’m not ready yet to give up my shirt – not quite yet, boys. I think I’ve got a couple of years left in me to be honest.
“The 2027 World Cup might be a bit too far, but my aim is to get to 100 caps for Wales. If that happens it will be the icing on the cake, and if it doesn’t then it doesn’t – that’s just the way it is.
“For me, it’s about taking every game as it comes. Hopefully, I’ll be picked for this weekend and that’d be another one.”
Wales certainly missed his commanding presence in last year’s championship as they slumped to a first tournament whitewash since 2003.
Now, the bookies have them odds-on to pick up the Wooden Spoon once again.
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Gatland will have Williams (92 caps), Taulupe Faletau (104 caps) and Josh Adams (59 caps) back in harness, as well as Exeter Chiefs skipper Dafydd Jenkins.
But Williams admits they still face a tough opening night at Stade de France.
“France are like the Harlem Globetrotters, they love throwing the ball about. As you’ve seen with the French clubs in the Champions Cup, they’ve been going really well, but it’s down to us to try to stop that,” said Williams.
“We’ll have to wait until the weekend to see which French team turns up. There is a great energy here in camp, the boys are feeling good and the training has gone well.
“Our backs are against the wall but we don’t mind that all – the boys are looking forward to it. It’s exciting playing against a team like the French.
“They have been one of the world’s best teams in the last few years, so it’s a massive start for us.
“We will do everything that can be done this week to get our own house in order and we are looking forward to it.
“I’ve won in Paris a couple of times, so anything is possible. Never say never!”
Williams could also put himself in contention for a third tour with the British and Irish Lions, having played in four Tests across the 2017 and 2021 tours.
