Williams praises Hansen's efforts

Wales have made progress under the coaching of Steve Hansen, but his legacy of change will have the greatest influence on rugby there, says captain Martyn Williams.

Hansen's contract finishes next May, when he is expected to return to New Zealand and continue coaching.

Williams praised Hansen's dogged pursuit of a new structure in Welsh rugby to lift the standards of the sport that have slipped dramatically in the past 20 years.

Hansen initially struck staunch opposition from national and club administrators out to protect tradition and self-interest.

But when former New Zealand rugby boss David Moffett took the helm of the Welsh game this year, it did not take long to uncover the difficult state of its financial affairs.

The clubs voted overwhelmingly to change the unwieldy nine-club competition to a five-franchise structure, forcing existing clubs to merge with longtime rivals.

Williams is excited by the impact the new era will have on rugby in Wales.

"It's a big step for us. We've had a messy situation for a while and nobody knew what was happening next year.

"I think if it stayed at nine clubs, there was no way we could have carried on like that in Wales.

"The players all welcome it. The one thing we do struggle with is strength in depth and it shows when we go into European competition.

"If a club side picks up one or two injuries, they're lacking and they're not competitive.

"Now the top boys can't get into a comfort zone which, without a doubt, they were getting into back home."

The merger process was having teething problems, he said, and he suspected the franchises would struggle at first in Europe, particularly as the top 30 players would miss the start of the season because of the World Cup.

It could take a year or two for players in the new teams to get used to one another.

- NZPA