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Saracens have joined the race to sign Gloucester captain and Wales and Lions scrum-half Tomos Williams, who has interest from multiple clubs and R360.
Williams moved to Kingsholm from Cardiff in 2024 and his outstanding performances earned him a Lions call-up for this year’s tour of Australia. The 30-year-old’s Gloucester contract expires at the end of the season and he is a man in demand.
The breakaway league R360 – slated to start in 2026 – see Williams as the sort of player who would fit perfectly into their high-octane plans. But a host of teams are interested in a player whose well-rounded game makes him one of the most attractive on the market. Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington, unsurprisingly, wants to keep the livewire No 9.
But Saracens, who have had a fine start to the season, are keen too. Mark McCall, the Sarries boss, has 30-year-old Ivan van Zyl as an experienced scrum-half, as well as Charlie Bracken, who is a coming force at 21.
Bracken is the son of former England No 9 and 2003 World Cup winner Kyran and is a player of significant promise. But Williams’ status as one of the best in his position means McCall is interested. He started the Lions tour well, putting himself in a good position to play in the Tests Down Under only for a hamstring injury to force him to return home.
Williams’ Gloucester displays saw him named captain by Skivington for this season. However, the club have lost all four of their PREM games, partly due to an unprecedented injury crisis.
Williams is one piece of a scrum-half jigsaw across English and French club rugby. Alex Mitchell has re-signed with Northampton but Harry Randall, currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, is out of contract at Bristol at the end of the season, as is Scotland’s Ben White at French side Toulon. Baptiste Serin, Toulon’s first choice No 9, is in the same boat, as are several other No 9s in France.
‘Tommy has been great for us but he is out of contract,’ admitted Skivington. ‘He was always going to be the sort of player R360 would go after. He fits their model. We knew last year when that chat started, Tommy would be of massive interest. Tommy will have a lot in front of him. But we’re still talking to him and we’ll see how he feels and how strong the offers are. But we’ll do our best to keep him.’
R360 offers are starting to land
Rugby Confidential understands formal R360 contract offers to players who have expressed an interest are starting to land with their representatives. It means many top stars who are on the market are now in a stick or twist position.
R360 is considered an attractive option for many reasons, not least the finances on offer. Its organisers remain confident it will get off the ground. But it hasn’t officially launched yet, so to sign up would still represent something of a gamble.
There is an awareness that if players sign for R360 and the league does not launch, they would risk missing out on a club contract down the line as slots would already have been filled.
Tax breaks appeal to would-be rebels
Being able to live anywhere in the world, including tax-free countries, is one of the main R360 attractions for rugby’s top stars. Organised by England World Cup winner Mike Tindall, among others, the league is planning eight men’s and women’s teams who will play around the globe in a Formula 1-type model.
The league’s global nature means players do not need to be based in one particular country as they would be flown into destinations for training and matches.
Rugby Confidential understands it has been pointed out to players that they could receive annual R360 salaries of £700,000. But if they live in tax-free regions such as Monaco or the United Arab Emirates, they would receive that money in full. English rugby’s top stars, such as Maro Itoje, earn a salary in the same region, but after tax their take-home pay is closer to £350,000.
Tax-free salaries are, understandably, proving attractive to potential R360 recruits.
Many of F1’s top stars, including Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, live in tax-free Monaco. Tax rules mean British players who sign up would still have to spend a certain number of days per year in the UK. But the prospect of increased travel has been welcomed by many.
On the other side of the coin, older players who are settled and don’t want to move also like the idea of being able to fly in and out for matches and training, as they could do so without upturning their family lives.
R360 also plans to broadcast its matches free to air, with YouTube one option on the table. It has been indicated a ‘major deal is in the offing’.
Bears star causing a stir
Bristol’s Argentina international Benjamin Elizalde is of interest to French side Clermont Auvergne while his CV is also circulating among other PREM clubs.
The 21-year-old full-back is out of contract at Ashton Gate at the end of the season. Elizalde was virtually unheard of when he joined the Bears in 2024 after impressing for his country at that year’s Junior World Cup.
But he is a player of significant promise and made his senior Argentina debut against England this summer.
