[3] On returning to Australia, Williams played Sydney club rugby while remaining on the fringes of the NSW Waratahs team.

It wasn't until he changed to the back row that he was able to find enough form to be picked up by Eddie Jones at the ACT Brumbies in 1998.

It was his form playing for the Brumbies that led to his selection for the Australian squad for the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

After missing Wallabies selection in 2001, Williams accepted a two-year deal with Munster, and soon captained the Irish club.

At the start of Australia's international rugby season in June 2008 Williams took up his new role alongside fellow assistant Michael Foley.