Dragons move for Wales star Liam Williams 'never an option'

The Rodney Parade club were alerted to the 33-year-old wing/full-back’s desire to move back from Japan, where he plays for Kubuto Spears, for family reasons.

If they were to sign Williams then it would have to be on a cut-price contract but at present it is a non-starter as the Dragons prepare to get their United Rugby Championship campaign under way against the Ospreys on Saturday.

The 92-times capped back, who featured against South Africa and Australia for Wales in the summer, has returned to Japan to prepare for the second season of his two-year contract.

TALENT: The Dragons were linked with a move for Wales full-back Liam Williams (Image: Andrew Matthews)

“Liam is a fantastic guy and I am a big fan,” said Dragons head coach Flanagan, who was with Williams at the Scarlets.

“I worked with him for many years and have reminded him that his two Lions tours were off the back of being coached by me!

“He is a great guy but has a contract in Japan that he has to honour because he is a loyal man. There was never really an option of him coming here directly but you read certain rumours and somehow we are said to be in the mix for every player.

“We must have an unlimited budget with the amount of players we have been linked with in the last two years!”

With Cai Evans, Angus O’Brien, Jordan Williams and up-and-coming Huw Anderson on the books at 15, signing Williams is certainly not a priority.

A more pressing matter is signing a fifth tighthead prop for the squad with Flanagan hoping to bring one in as soon as possible.

The shock retirement of stalwart Lloyd Fairbrother in August does mean there is some room left in the budget - with the Welsh professional clubs having a self-imposed salary cap of £4.5million - but the head coach won’t spend it all on a new front rower.

CAUTIOUS: Dragons head coach Dai Flanagan is holding some of his budget back (Image: Kian Abdullah/Huw Evans Agency)

“There is certain money available but one of the learnings for me as a head coach has been to leave something in the pot just in case,” he said.

“We had certain points last year when we could have done with something but we had no money available.

“That has been something that I have learnt, that if an SOS call is to be made then we are able to do it.”

The Dragons made six summer signings for the new season – centre Harry Wilson (Waratahs), fly-half Lloyd Evans (Gloucester), hooker Oli Burrows (Exeter), lock Steve Cummins (Pau) and back row forwards Shane Lewis-Hughes (Cardiff) and Solomone Funaki (Moana Pasifika).