Former League One champions Kubota Spears has announced the departure of Welsh full-back Liam Williams who will rejoin Premiership side Saracens, RugbyJP can exclusively reveal.
The former Scarlets, Saracens and Cardiff star, 33, who has 92 caps for Wales, made seven appearances for Frans Ludeke’s side last season.
Williams is recovering from knee surgery following his country’s summer tour to Australia and trained with the Welsh national team during the Autumn Nations Series this month.
“As I prepare to leave Japan to be with my family back home, I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to all of you,” said the Morriston-born former scaffolder whose wife is due to give birth to their first child.
“The decision to leave hasn’t been an easy one, but my wife and I are thrilled to be welcoming our first child soon, and I feel it’s important for me to be back home with my family during this special time.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Frans and coaches the senior management at the club for being extremely understanding with regard to my family situation and allowing me to return to the UK.
“Your support, passion, and dedication to the game have been truly inspiring, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been welcomed into such a special group.”
Kubota Spears General Manager Hironori Maekawa said: “Liam has requested to leave the team at the end of November in order to prioritise supporting his family as he prepares for the birth of his first child.
“It was not an easy decision for the team, but after much discussion, we have come to the conclusion that family comes first, and that our team policy is to ultimately respect his and his family's decision. We would like to thank Liam for his contributions to the team and wish him and his family all the best on their journey ahead.” Williams was due to return to Japan on 15 December for a second season in League One.
Struggling Newport-based URC outfit the Dragons were linked with a move for Williams in September but then-head coach Dai Flanagan quashed those rumours.
RugbyJP can reveal that the Welshman has inked a deal to rejoin Saracens as injury cover for English veteran Alex Goode who played for NEC Green Rockets in 2020.
Williams enjoyed a successful three-year spell in London with Sarries, winning both the Premiership title and the European Rugby Champions Cup in 2019 while playing some of the best rugby of his career.
The British and Irish Lion scored 21 tries in 31 Saracens appearances before their salary-cap breach was exposed and he retuned to the Scarlets. Kubota kick off their season against Steve Hansen and Ian Foster’s star-laden Toyota Verblitz on Sunday 22 December at Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in Tokyo.
Picture courtesy of Kubota Spears
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