Harry Williams to reunite with Exeter teammate after Montpellier exit

Former England tighthead Harry Williams has joined his former Exeter Chiefs teammate Joe Simmonds at Top 14 outfit Pau less than a week after he was released by Montpellier.

The 32-year-old Londoner’s exit from the GGL Stadium stadium wasn’t entirely unexpected as he had fallen out of favour with club owner Mohed Altrad, who replaced him with a convicted domestic abuser, Wilfrid Hounkpatin.

Williams had been due to be under contract to Montpellier, who narrowly avoided being relegated to the Pro D2 by the skin of their teeth for another season but joins a growing band of England players at Pau.

Former England scrumhalf Dan Robson, 32, was the first to move to Stade du Hameau in November 2022 after Wasps went out of business. He was joined by Simmonds last summer.

They are both due to be under contract to Pau until next summer and Williams joins after making 13 appearances for Montpellier in all competitions in his first season in France after leaving the Chiefs.

Williams was capped 19 times by England, made 162 appearances for the Devon outfit, and was a member of the side that won Gallagher Premiership and Investec Champions Cup titles in 2020.

He started his career with Wasps before moving to Exeter in 2015 after loan spells at Nottingham and Jersey Reds and is the second Englishmen signed by Pau this summer.

And makes a quartet of Englishmen, with former Saracens and England U20 lock Joel Kpoku joining from Lyon. He made 50 appearances after leaving the former Premiership champions three years ago.

Williams had been linked with a possible move back to the Premiership with Saracens and Sale Sharks, who were both looking for another tighthead but will be remaining in France at least until the end of next season.