Work permit denied for Leigh scrum-half

Leigh have been dealt a blow with the news that new Australian scrum half Joe Williams has been denied a work permit.

Williams, 25, who was subject to controversy earlier in the season when he first denied the move to Leigh, had hoped to join the Centurions at the beginning of July.

But despite every effort of the club, they have been unable to secure clearance and are instead working on getting him across for the 2010 season.

A club statement read: “Every effort has been made by the club and the player himself to make it possible for him to obtain the necessary clearance documentation from the United Kingdom Border Control Agency, and at all times we have been acting on the advice of The Rugby Football League but despite being led to believe that everything connected with our application was correct and that granting of a visa was imminent, we were still declined when the final decision came through.”
 
“It is our belief that Joe Williams would have made a significant impact not only with Leigh Centurions, where a player of his position and obvious ability would have provided much needed attacking options, but also to the competition and its supporters, as he is a real crowd pleaser.
 
“On a personal level, we know that Joe and his young family were looking forward with anticipation to coming to the UK and experiencing a different way of life. Hopefully with discussions ongoing for next season we can finally obtain him a visa in good time, and we may yet see him in the colours of Leigh Centurions.”

The former Australian schoolboy international has made 46 appearances in the NRL with South Sydney, Penrith and Canterbury.