By Hannah Blackwell

Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams was labelled a “cheeky chappy” as well as a matchwinner after his brilliant display for Gloucester.

Less than two weeks before Wales coach Warren Gatland names his squad for the Six Nations, Williams gave a masterclass for his English club, spearheading Gloucester’s 36-20 triumph over Sale Sharks in the Gallagher Premiership.

Williams was at the heart of Gloucester’s attacking prowess, scoring one of their five tries and proving a constant menace to the Sale defence, which had kept Bristol scoreless just over a week ago.

World class finishing from Tomos Williams to wrap up the bonus point win!

Watch the match highlights now from yesterday’s game

— Gloucester Rugby (@gloucesterrugby) January 5, 2025

It was a performance that drew glowing praise from Gloucester head coach George Skivington, who highlighted the scrum-half’s energy and leadership.

“Tomos was great again today. He has delivered on and off the field. He is just full of energy and links our play up well,” Skivington said.

“He is a cheeky chap. He has a laugh and all the rest of it, but when it comes to training and playing, he is on it, he is not messing around any more, and his ability to flick the switch between the two is great.

“He is engaged, he wants to win, he is competitive, and his influence will rub off on the young lads here.”

Williams’ try, scored in the dying stages of the game, was the exclamation point on a dominant performance that kept Gloucester firmly in the hunt for a Premiership play-off spot.

✋ points to start 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣!

36 – 20 | #GLOvSAL pic.twitter.com/ZgO5ZYryDe

— Gloucester Rugby (@gloucesterrugby) January 4, 2025

His sharp decision-making and sniping runs repeatedly tested Sale’s defensive structure, creating opportunities for his teammates and himself.

The former Cardiff star’s ability to blend creativity with tactical acumen made him central to Gloucester’s dynamic attacking strategy, which was on full display in a first half that saw the Cherry and Whites race to a 22-3 lead.

Full-back Santi Carreras, wing Josh Hathaway, and Wales international Max Llewellyn all crossed for tries as Gloucester overwhelmed Sale with their fluid and precise attacking patterns.

But there was a worry for Wales when Williams’ international half-back partner Gareth Anscombe was withdrawn at half-time due to a knee injury.

Skivington provided an update on Anscombe after the game and added: “He took a bang on the knee.

“I talked to him at half-time, and he wasn’t moving particularly well, so we knocked it on the head.

“We could have pushed him out and kept him playing, but I am not an advocate of doing that.

“I tend to whip lads off when I feel they are not quite 100 per cent. Hopefully, it is nothing too serious.”

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