The 'big difference' Tomos Williams has found playing in Premiership

Wales international Tomos Williams has outlined what he believes to be the big difference between the Gallagher Premiership and the United Rugby Championship. The 29-year-old scrum-half is three games into his new adventure in England with Gloucester, whom he joined in the summer after a decade playing with Cardiff in URC.

Even though Gloucester are only eighth on the table in the 10-team tournament following just one win, they have a healthy eight points and are just two off third place Leicester heading into this weekend’s round four game at home to Bath.

The Cherry and Whites have secured two try bonuses in their three outings with Williams amongst the scorers, contributing two tries and generally enjoying the change of scenery in England.

Quizzed on the latest episode of The Rugby Pod what he had found to be the big change in the Premiership compared to the URC, he said: “The big difference is the crowds, isn’t it? To be fair, Gloucester is class. I am enjoying how tight the games are as well, really competitive. A lot of games have gone down to the wire.”

He added that a better transition from attack to defence will improve their results. “It’s flicking our switch to defence. The way we attack maybe sometimes puts pressure on your D, especially when you are blowing after a long set. We have got to find that balance and we haven’t quite got there yet.”

Gareth Anscombe, his Gloucester and Wales half-back partner, agreed. “We are pretty committed to having a crack and backing our skill sets,” he said in the joint interview. “I know everyone is starting to see us as gunslingers and just having a go but look, there were some opportunities on the weekend (at Sale) where we just needed to be a little smarter.

“We are trying to adapt to that. We have certainly gone all in on the way we are trying to play but we can be a bit smarter around trying to kick on edges. We have got that part to grow into our game, those kicking elements, we have got to add that to our attack.

“If we can do that then we won’t put so much pressure on ourselves. If we can pick up a bit of territory doing that it will allow us to show what we can do when we play in the right parts of the field.”

Like Williams, the 33-year-old Anscombe has also started all three Gloucester games so far in the 2024/25 season, a run he is enjoying given his rotten luck with injury. He hooked up with the English club after a Rugby World Cup injury scuppered the deal he had with Suntory Sungoliath in Japan Rugby League One.

“It's been a tough four, five years. Everyone knows about my knee injury and the extent of what that was but I suppose the adductor and picking that up during the World Cup when we were heading to the knockout stages was just a real knockout blow.

“Then it just got worse and worse in terms of we didn’t pick up how bad it was until I got to Japan and it just led to another missed season which was probably the most frustrating but because I have missed so much rugby.

“Just to miss a season on an injury that was only three months because of contract obligations was really tough, but I have really enjoyed coming here. A big part of my decision making was I really wanted to test myself in the Premiership. I had chances to do it in the past and wasn’t able to because of the Welsh ruling system at the time.

“It’s been a breath of fresh air challenging myself in a new environment and in a competition I have really looked up to. I am really enjoying the lads, the staff, it has been great. The final piece for us is to make sure we compete and are winning games. I suppose we are pretty determined to fit the script on that this season.”