John Williams thrilled to be new West Bowling head coach

For the first time in years West Bowling will play their rugby in the National Conference Premier Division next season, and Williams will be the man to lead them out.

Reflecting on his appointment, Williams said: “I’m extremely excited about this opportunity. I’ve had the experience of working as the assistant of the previous two coaches, but I now feel I’m ready to make the step up to being the head coach. It will be an honour and a privilege to represent West Bowling’s first team in this position.

Williams added: “It was an easy decision to make in all honesty. As soon as I got the call from the chairman, I immediately accepted the offer, as I feel I’m ready to be the main man now. I loved my time working under Ryan (Hunkin) and Dean (Muir), but this opportunity to be the head coach was something that I couldn’t pass on. Before Dean arrived, just as Ryan left, I felt I needed one more year of experience and I’ve got that now, so it’s the perfect time for me.”

John Williams' West Bowling appointment post (Image: West Bowling)

Williams further portrayed his excitement when discussing the prospect of leading his team out in the National Conference Premier Division next season.

He said: “It’s been while since West Bowling have had the quality and confidence to compete in the Premier Division at such a high standard. We’ve got some serious players in our team and although it’s taken us a few years to get the club back up to this level, we’re there now and I couldn’t be happier with how things have turned out. It’s a really exciting time to be at West Bowling.”

He added: “I have full confidence in the lads to make the step up to the Premier Division because, not only do they have a lot of quality, but they also work hard and come to training with the right attitude. They all want to better themselves at every opportunity, whether it’s at training or outside the club at the gym. For me, a number of our players have the quality to progress even further.”

Despite making the step up to the head coach’s hot-seat, Williams admitted that he won’t be looking to veer away too much from the style of rugby that has made West Bowling so successful over the past couple of seasons.

He said: “The style that we go with won’t be too different from the last few years. The boys can play, so I want them to be allowed to go and play with freedom. Of course, there will be structure to our game, but once we get into the attacking half of the field, then I want my players to show their quality.

“We will work on structural play in the first few weeks of pre-season, but then it’s about giving the boys the belief and confidence to play with freedom.”

Discussing his targets and future goals for West Bowling, Williams said: “I think it’s been 20 years since the club have been in the National Conference Premier Division, so we won’t be going there to make up the numbers; we want to be challenging all the teams in the division and target a playoff spot. It’s not going to be easy.

“We want to stay in the Premier Division and be in the Premier Division for a long time, and we think we are well equipped to be able to do that. We’ve got some great junior players coming through the ranks, so it’s about nurturing those young lads and helping them find a path into the first team so that they can compete at this level in the future.”