The Scotsman reports

Williams to be Ulster director of rugby

David Kelso
MATT Williams, the controversial former Scotland head rugby coach, is poised for a comeback with Magners League strugglers Ulster.

The Australian, who was sacked after two dismal seasons in the Murrayfield hot seat, is expected to be confirmed tomorrow as the province's director of rugby.

Williams, who has also had a spell with Leinster, was offered the job at the weekend following a visit to Belfast for talks last week.

It is thought discussion centred around the Australian's personal terms, his backroom and family situation.

It is expected that current caretaker coach Steve Williams will continue as assistant as part of the deal.

The Welshman has 18 months remaining of a two-year contract after he came in following the departure of Mark McCall and his assistant Allen Clarke. Williams' impending appointment with the league's basement side comes after a leisurely two-year stint back in Sydney where he was in charge of coaching duties at club side West Harbour.

The news comes just weeks after Williams ruffled feathers by claiming racial prejudices made his Scotland job impossible. The Scots won just three of 17 Tests under Williams, but he claims there was opposition to his leadership based on more than rugby grounds. He said: "It didn't really matter if I was any good or not – I wasn't a Scot. So that whole racial thing was pretty hard to accept."

Williams, who took the reins from Ian McGeechan after the 2003 World Cup, will rub shoulders with Scottish pro teams Edinburgh and Glasgow in his new post. His first involvement with a Scottish team will be in early may when Ulster go head to head with Glasgow at Firhill.

The full article contains 286 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.

This article was posted on 26-Dec-2007, 09:35 by Hugh Barrow.