By Steffan Thomas
The Scarlets are closing in on the signing of Wales star Liam Williams but face stiff competition from French giants Toulon.
Williams’ contract at crisis-hit Saracens expires at the end of the current season and the 28-year-old has been weighing up his options.
The Wales and Lions full-back visited Parc Y Scarlets recently and was impressed with head coach Brad Mooar’s vision for the region.
Toulon are also keen and are willing to offer wages that would be close to double the figures he can earn in Wales.
It is understood Williams was also in negotiation with the Ospreys but a move to the Liberty Stadium is now dead in the water with the Scarlets having edged ahead.
With 62 Wales caps to his name, Williams would still remain eligible to represent his country under the WRU’s national selection policy.
Despite being offered significantly more money to cross the channel the Waunarlwydd product considers he would be better looked after in west Wales.
If Williams decides to head for the cash-laden fields of French rugby it would come at a price with all Test players having to return to their clubs during the fallow weeks of the Six Nations, while he would also become unavailable for some national training camps.
The 2021 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa is also something he will have to take into account. Williams is widely acknowledged as one of European rugby’s leading full-backs and one of the front-runners to wear the Lions number 15 jersey against the world champions.
But French-based Lions have a history of arriving late on tour due to the late finish of the Top 14 season. In 2005 both Gareth Thomas and Stephen Jones, then at Toulouse and Clermont Auvergne respectively, missed the opening warm-up games during the Lions’ disastrous tour to New Zealand.
While in 2017, Toulon owner Mourad Boulledjal made it as difficult as possible for Leigh Halfpenny to join up with Warren Gatland’s squad.
A move to the Scarlets by Williams would not necessarily signal the departure of Halfpenny with Mooar keen to retain the services of the prolific points scorer.
If the Scarlets do manage to retain Halfpenny while also recruiting Williams, they would boast one of the strongest back three units in the northern hemisphere, with new Wales star Johnny McNicholl, Steffan Evans and the emerging Ryan Conbeer on their books.
Swansea-born Williams spent six years at the Scarlets before joining Saracens, scoring 166 points in 106 appearances which culminated in a stunning Guinness PRO12 final triumph over Munster in 2017.
