Kubota’s Liam Williams to return to Japan in December
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Kubota Spears full-back Liam Williams will return to Japan in December ahead of the 2024-25 League One season.
Williams, 33, made seven appearances for Frans Ludeke’s side last season.
The former Scarlets, Saracens and Cardiff full-back, who has 92 caps for Wales, played for his country in their two summer tests against Australia.
Wales will play Fiji, Australia and South Africa in the Autumn Nations Series in November at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
“I’ll go back after the Autumn series,” said Williams on the Sportin Wales podcast.
“The club’s been really good in letting me stay at home with the baby being due soon, Kubota has been amazing. I’ll go back to Japan on 15 December.”
The Morriston-born former scaffolder at at Port Talbot steelworks, who started his rise to fame at Waunarlwydd RFC, also reflected on the his first season in Japan and the initial culture shock.
“It’s totally different, it’s world’s apart,” said the 2019 Champions Cup winner.
“It was good, it was a bit of a shock at the start, having to go out there just on my own was pretty tough as Sophie (wife) was back here doing stuff with the house and we’re having a baby.”
Williams will return to Japan on 15 December to link up again with the likes of former Wallabies fly-half Bernard Foley and Springboks star Malcolm Marx.
Former League One champions Kubota kick off their season against Steve Hansen and Ian Foster’s star-studded Toyota Verblitz on Sunday 22 December at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo.
