Owen Williams, the Leicester back, has admitted it will be “emotional and weird” when he returns to face Scarlets following his move to England last year, with the Tigers attempting to secure successive victories in the European Champions Cup.
Williams traded Wales for Welford Road in the summer of 2013 and has become an important member of Richard Cockerill’s squad since the move. The Welshman’s transfer did not go down too well in Llanelli, but he still has deep connections to a club that first signed him from Ospreys.
Leicester overcame Ulster 25-18 last Saturday to open their European campaign with a win, but during the game the centre Manu Tuilagi suffered a fresh groin injury that is expected to keep him out of action for more than one month. After their trip to Wales comes an ominous double-header against Toulon but, for Williams, the sole focus is a reunion with old friends that has left the 22-year-old in nervous anticipation.
He said: “It’s going to be strange, it’s going to be emotional and pretty weird playing against a lot of my mates. I will be playing against them for the first time as well but I’m looking forward to it. It’s a great stadium and a passionate crowd.
“I’ll hopefully get a win over the boys and see them all afterwards. I’ll see my family and hopefully it will be a good weekend. I’ve already had one or two texts from some of the boys, a few from Liam Williams. I’ll be nervous, don’t get me wrong. I’m going to be under a bit of pressure but I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited for one of Europe’s big occasions.”
Williams’ move from Scarlets has, he says, undoubtedly been of personal benefit. The fly-half has predominantly been used by Cockerill as a No12 this season but replaces Freddie Burns at No10 on Saturday night.
When Williams left, the then Scarlets head coach, Simon Easterby, wished the player well but also said: “Unfortunately, this sudden move came to us with no warning or discussion and is a surprise to us in the context of what we would consider to be in the best interests for Owen.”
Williams, however, remains adamant that his decision was the right one and is looking forward to his return to Parc y Scarlets. He said: “It wasn’t an easy decision, I had to speak with a lot of people. But I’m happy and it’s in the past. I can’t dwell on it.
“Playing in a different league, I played in the Heineken Cup for the first time, I have learnt from some quality players at this club, picking their brains week in week out, it has definitely helped me a lot.”
He added: “I didn’t receive much stick from the fans. Everyone will have their own opinion. I had my reasons for why I left, I wanted to experience different things, Leicester is a big club and it was just one of those things. It was the first time I moved away from home but it was an easy transition to be honest. Everyone at the club was really helpful and friendly.
“They [Scarlets] are a good team, they like to throw the ball about and have threats along the back line. They have got Scott Williams, Liam Williams, [Rhys] Priestland is a great player. It’s a big pitch down there, it’s a bigger pitch than Welford Road so I’m sure they are going to try and move us about.”
Williams is regarded by many as a future international but was not selected by Warren Gatland for Wales’s autumn fixtures against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa next month. “I’d love to play for my country,” he added.
“It’s something I work towards every day. They’ve picked two very good 10s for the autumn, I’ve just got to keep my head down and keep working hard.”
