But last summer Williams opted to return to Wales as he signed with the Dragons, playing 27 times so far this season and scoring one try in the process.
And despite admitting to loving life in the RaboDirect PRO12, testing himself against some of the best front-rowers in the world, Williams is keen to stress that he still has much to learn.
"It was a big stepping stone for me to come back to Wales," Williams told the club website. "It started a bit slowly and I was on the bench initially, but then I started to get some game time and I hope to kick on from here.
"I think I've done okay, but it's certainly been a challenging environment for me and even transferring things from the training pitch to matches has been difficult.
"It's been tough and it's a great standard. Some of the best props in the world play in this league - players like Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins and some of the Irish props.
"The Treviso scrum is underrated, too, they pride themselves on the set piece."
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