Owen Williams had started to acquire the status of the Wales star who never was.
Maybe that will still be his lot.
But maybe not.
Back in Welsh rugby and no longer snared by Welsh rugby’s 60-cap rule on exiled players, he is making a decent fist of challenging for a place in Warren Gatland’s Wales squad for the Six Nations.
He already has three Test caps, but injuries and playing outside the regional system meant that he so far hasn’t had many opportunities to make a proper name for himself at the highest level.
There seems a reasonable chance that will change in the coming weeks, however, with Williams proving an instant hit at the Ospreys after his arrival in Swansea just before Christmas. He has since started three games and the south-west Wales region have won the lot.
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Gatland would have had to have been asleep at the wheel not to have noticed, especially as Wales will be without one of their top two fly-halves in the coming months with the luckless Gareth Anscombe sidelined by injury, leaving Dan Biggar as the only No. 10 with significant Test experience available to the Kiwi.
That said, before even thinking about picking Williams, the head coach is likely to want to know what his plans are. A newspaper report recently raised the possibility of the former Scarlets, Leicester Tigers, Gloucester, Osaka Red Hurricanes and Worcester Warriors player heading out to Japan after his short-term deal with the Ospreys finishes. Presumably, Gatland would want assurances from Williams about his availability for the World Cup ahead of naming him in his Six Nations squad.
But let’s assume the product of Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera stays in Wales.
Is he good enough to make the squad for the annual northern hemisphere Test jousting that begins in four weeks' time?
The evidence of his Ospreys starts to date, against Montpellier, Scarlets and Cardiff, would suggest a positive answer to that question. He has given Booth’s team structure with his kicking game allowing them to play in the right positions.
He is also composed.
Forget the brainstorm that saw him miss touch from a penalty to give Cardiff one final shot at victory at the Arms Park last weekend (unless you are an Ospreys supporter, in which case perhaps only multiple sessions on a therapist’s couch will help you to ever truly get over it).
No, think instead about a moment deep in the visitors' territory in the second quarter.
It saw the Neath-born player collect the ball under pressure while behind his own line.
Conditions were appalling, with rain beating down, but with his back to the opposition posts, Williams somehow managed to hook the ball over his left shoulder to find touch 40 or so metres upfield.
The play didn’t just require improbable skill. It also required calmness and clear thinking.
It was one of the moments of the game.
Ospreys head coach Toby Booth has been pleased with the efforts of young Jack Walsh this term — he has skill and bullet-proof self-belief — but the former Waratahs training squad player is still putting miles on the clock. At 30, Williams completed his apprenticeship long ago.
“The facts are the facts,” said Booth as he name-checked his two other No. 10s, Gareth Anscombe and Stephen Myler.
“When those boys are playing, we’ve either drawn or won.
“Now Owen Williams has come in and that’s continued.
“That’s no reflection on Jack, who’s played there and done an honourable job.
“But the team needs a quarter-back and seniority and experience in key positions. Everyone will tell you that from a 10 point of view, so I think that’s had a massive impact on the confidence of the team.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to win, but it’s given a figurehead and leadership to that part of the team, for sure.
“So that’s been really important and it’s been great that we could get him in.”
Williams arrived from Worcester Warriors after the English club’s financial meltdown earlier this season. Booth said their situation had been unfortunate while adding of the fly-half acquisition: “Their loss has been our gain.
“He’s definitely stepped up and been very visible and given other people the confidence to focus on doing their jobs.
“Those things are really important.”
Biggar will almost certainly be Wales’ first-choice No. 10, but beyond him there is uncertainty.
The No.12 option Gatland wanted in 2017
Williams’ cause is helped by his being able to play inside centre and potentially act as a second playmaker. Indeed, he filled that role promisingly against Australia and New Zealand in 2017, making 27 passes against the All Blacks and 15 runs. If there were no blinding flashes of inspiration, there was enough there to suggest the player who first learned his rugby at Ystradgynlais RFC could prove a significant asset at Test level.
Gatland has previously spoken positively about the player's versatility during that period and greater things seemed to be in the pipeline for Williams. But being based beyond the regions didn’t help him and nor did the succession of injuries he has suffered.
Jarrod Evans, Sam Costelow, Rhys Patchell and Callum Sheedy make up the competition for the No. 10 spots alongside Biggar in the Six Nations squad. Sam Davies will also be desperate to force his way into the picture.
But keep an eye out for Williams.
Right now, he’s putting together a decent case for inclusion.
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