Williams latest success story of Exiles programme

Although born in England, some of his earliest rugby memories were being taken by his Welsh-speaking father from north Wales to Principality Stadium. As a passionate Welsh rugby fan, and debenture holder, there was nothing more Williams’ dad wanted than to see his son play on the hallowed Welsh turf in a Welsh shirt.

The family quest began at a Welsh Exiles training session when the then Reading-based schoolboy went along to join in. A year later he was playing for Wales U16 before joining the English Premiership academy system at London Irish.

Honours for England followed at U18 and U20 level, where he distinguished himself by playing in the side that won the Junior World Championship on home soil in 2016. Then last year he scored for an England XV against the Barbarians at Twickenham in a match in which Callum Sheedy also featured.

Surely, at that stage, they were both lost to Wales despite strong qualifications (Sheedy was born in Cardiff)? It may have seemed so to many, but one man never gave up hope of getting them both back into the red of Wales.

Gareth Davies is the National Exiles Officer at the Welsh Rugby Union. It is his job to track, trace and never give up on Welsh qualified players who might one day play at regional or national level. He had spent the past few years keeping tabs on both Williams and Sheedy and was pleased to finally see them both win their first caps in the Autumn Nations Cup campaign.

For Sheedy, it completed a meandering international journey that began with Wales U16, saw him play for Ireland U19, return to the Wales U20 squad, but then accept an invitation to play for that England XV against the Barbarians. The outstanding Bristol Bears outside half then completed his circuitous international journey by winning his first senior Welsh cap against Ireland in Dublin.

“People might not realise this but the Welsh Exiles programme is 30 years old and has been actively identifying, monitoring and recruiting Welsh qualified players over that period. It is 100% a high performance programme to try to introduce elite senior players into the professional system in Wales, but it also offers a credible pathway for all the young players who engage with us,” said Davies.

“We had eyes on, and conversations with, many of the players who are currently involved in Wayne Pivac’s squad. Callum Sheedy, Louis Rees-Zammit, Ioan Lloyd, Will Rowlands, Nick Tompkins, Jonah Holmes and, of course, Johnny Williams.

“Johnny came into the Exiles programme as a 14-year-old when he was living with his family in Berkshire. His progress has been monitored ever since, even when he went into the England age-grade programme.

“We never give up on a player until he is no longer eligible to play for Wales. We were pretty relaxed about Johnny playing for England at U18 and U20 levels, and even when he played for Eddie Jones’ England XV at Twickenham.

“They were the right choices for him at the time, but he always knew Wales remained a strong option for him. When the time was right, the relationship we had developed with both him and his family enabled us to move him to the Scarlets and step into the senior squad.”

Williams was one of three Welsh qualified players in that England U20 side that won the world title in 2016. Huw Taylor is currently playing for the Dragons, while George Nott is at London Irish, but still on Davies’ radar.

As for Williams, who overcame a cancer scare last year before bravely returning to professional rugby, he was simply delighted to become Wales Cap No 1163. It may not have been a dream debut in front of his father at Principality Stadium, but that opportunity will surely come in 2021.

“I was so excited and so proud. It has been a goal of mine since the age of six to play for Wales and I can’t believe I have finally done it,” Williams said after receiving his coveted cap from team manager Martyn Williams in the Parc y Scarlets dressing room after the win over Georgia.

“When the anthems were playing I closed my eyes and thought about all the people who helped me get here and all the sacrifices I had to make along the way. It is such an honour to represent Wales and to win this cap.”

Having got the Scarlets centre over the line, who is next on the hit-list for Davies?

“The Exiles age grade programme is open to all Welsh qualified players aged 12-18 based outside Wales and there are now nearly 1700 young players in the programme,” added Davies.

“There is a pathway for every single player to maxims their potential and the programme gives the players and their families an opportunity to engage with the WRU. We have also facilitated opportunities in Wales for young players from New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, Australia and from all over Europe, while there are plans in place to develop a programme for young girls and women.

“Just like Johnny, many Exiles come into the programme when they’re 14 or 15 and we continue to engage with them and monitor their progress. We have excellent relationships with all four the Welsh regions and that offers a credible route to professional rugby too.

“We have imported forwards Theo Bavacqua and Gwilym Bradley into the Blues Academy, Morgan Jones has gone from a slim young lock in Leicestershire with a bit of potential to a Scarlets PRO14 player this season. Scrum half Ellis Bevan is now at Cardiff Met and also in the Blues system.

“Now that World Rugby has increased the residency eligibility criteria from three to five years the Exiles programme is more relevant than ever. We need to identify talent that can help to increase the strength in depth of the age-grade and professional game in Wales.”

There were no fewer than 26 Exiles players included in Welsh age-grade squads at U18, 19 and 20 levels last year. On top of that, at least 10 Welsh qualified players have been introduced into the four regions over the past three years.

Williams is not the only former Junior World Championship winner with England in the current Welsh squad. Ross Moriarty and Tompkins achieved the same success, as did Taylor at the Dragons. The Ospreys wing Mat Protheroe also played for England U20.

“One of the hardest parts of the job is managing the expectations of players and parents. Every teenager who gets involved with our programme would love to play for Wales, but they are not all of the same ability or potential,” said Davies.

“While we are unashamedly an elite programme that is focused on uncovering potential international talent, we are also proud to be able to offer a slice of Welsh rugby culture to everyone who engages with us.

“If they aren’t good enough to play for the full Welsh team or a region, many of these players might go to a Welsh university and go on to play for a local club. There are a number of young Exiles currently combining their academic progress with their rugby development in Wales.

“The university pathway in Wales is an excellent way for them to manage the transition into senior rugby whilst being monitored by the regions. But when the programme delivers a Johnny Williams onto the international stage it proves the true value of the system.”