conducter of the Boston Pops Orchestra.

John Williams, the new president of the Bermuda Rugby Football Union, isn't afraid to face the music as he embarks on one of the most challenging jobs in local sport.

One advantage the 51-year-old Williams will have is that he is no stranger to the local rugby scene, having been an active participant since he arrived on the Island to work on the Police force in 1965.

Williams, who has since left the force and now imports rugby equipment to the Island, also happens to be taking over a sport in relatively rosy health and coming off a domestic season that had all the elements of a tied-to-the-tracks melodrama. It wasn't until the final weekend of the season that First Division champions were declared with at least three of the four sides competitive each week.

Clearly, local rugby enjoyed the fruits of an inaugural foray into World Cup qualifying and a Caribbean title in 1993.

Williams took over the presidency from Peter Borland in early June, completing the last two years as vice-president of the BRFU.

Few expect him to stray from a path earnestly begun by Borland with the emphasis on the development of the national squad.

Williams will have plenty on his plate during his one-year term, with a roll call of pressing items. First and foremost he must renegotiate a new deal with long-time sponsor Amstel before the new season is launched in September. He must also put plans in motion for Bermuda's next stab at World Cup qualifying with meetings scheduled for the end of the year.

At the same time he'd like the BRFU to take a leadership role in a "No Drugs, More Sport'' campaign borrowed from a programme which caught his attention while the national team played in a successful tour in Europe a few months ago.

Williams is also expected to resist calls to move some weekend games away from National Sports Club to venues like Police Field, site each year of the Duckett Memorial game.

"As far as we're concerned at the national level, we're going to try and do everything we can to raise our level of rugby,'' said Williams during an extensive interview. "We have made a verbal committment to go back to the Caribbean next year, so we're considering that at this stage. There's a possibility we could go to Andorra or Portugal.'' The national team will be busy early next season with matches scheduled against the Mid Atlantic Rugby Union of the US during the World Rugby Classic in November. There's also the possibility of a tour to Washington next spring.

"These are all possibilities that we're exploring,'' said Williams. "Plus it would appear we are making great inroads into the schools. We're going to attempt to start a programme of rugby exposure to boys and girls this year at a basic level of rugby. It'll be nothing like contact rugby.'' A schools programme would eventually achieve a long-time goal held by many in the BRFU -- including Borland and Williams -- to get more Bermudians exposed to the sport. Of the 150 to 200 players who play rugby each week almost half of them are Bermudian.

There happens to be a crop of locals just beginning to emerge on the scene, players like Heath (Butch) Robinson, Bobby Hurdle, Patrick Cooper, Magnus Henagulph and Jonathan Cassidy -- the harmonic convergence of old and new as they follow in the large footsteps of such long-time local stalwarts such as Andre Simons, Scott and Andrew Correia, Derek and Denton Hurdle and Alvin Harvey.

"We need more Bermudians in the game,'' said Williams. "The BRFU is not involved in this Kiwi-style rugby league on Wednesdays, it's been started by the players which is a good thing. These type of things arouse people's interest in the game.'' Borland, 42, stepped down after three years in the post, having taken over from Tom Watters when he left the Island in 1992.

"I was vice president at the time, so I sort of took it by default until the end of that season and then I stood for election the following year,'' said Borland.

"There's a heckuva lot of work behind the scenes,'' he added. "People sometimes don't realise it, not just in Bermuda, but now certainly internationally since we are a full member of the International Board.

"I think a conscious effort was made maybe to broaden the horizon of the game here and a conscious effort was made to get some variety in the type of games and make it as attractive as possible for the players.

"The best compliment that anyone could pay me is for somebody to say they've enjoyed their rugby in the last few years...they've enjoyed the environment to play in. I'm obviously very proud we won the Caribbean championships and I'm very proud we put up such a marvellous performance in the World Cup game. And I'm very proud of the way we just performed in Luxembourg.'' Bermuda's record on that European tour was a tidy 3-0, one sign perhaps that Williams is inheriting a stronger sport -- at the national level at least -- than Borland did.

"That's a little bit subjective in the sense that (if) you ask somebody, an older person, they'll say the games were a lot better in their day,'' said Borland. "Like a lot of sports, rugby has its good years and bad years.

"I do believe that certainly at the national level the last four or five years we've played some very important games and done very well. But I'm not saying that the Bermuda team 15 years ago would not have done the same.'' Borland and Williams agree that the sport is lacking the coverage accorded to other sports on the Island like cricket and soccer. Williams would like to see the same people who attend World Rugby Classic matches show up for Amstel League clashes.

Besides getting more exposure for the sport, Borland is keenly aware of how Williams will have a difficult balancing act in trying to have both a successful national team and domestic programme.

Rugby chief's new challenge From Page 41 "I learned that even though there's a social environment with an amateur sport, major decisions have got to be made,'' said Borland. "You've got to look at the bigger picture, maybe not at the club level and you've got to look at what is good for Bermuda rugby. And unfortunately you might get a little bit of polite criticism, but at the end of the day I believe I did the correct things for Bermuda rugby at the time.

Borland plans to remain active on the BRFU executive.

"John has got some ideas of his own,'' said Borland. "I think he understands the importance not only of keeping the domestic game healthy and vibrant but also moving forward on the international side.'' He saw first-hand just how rugby has grown on the world stage when he attended the recent World Cup in South Africa, where he watched the Springbok-All Black final and held meetings with officials from the Pan American Rugby Association. However, he brought back other indelible memories.

"Nelson Mandela came out and I was quite close to him, he came out to meet the teams,'' said Borland. "It was quite moving actually, the crowd chanting his name and waving the new flag and singing their anthem.'' Said Williams: "The World Cup really exposed the sport to the world and I'd have to say that all the publicity that went with it affected Bermuda. There's been much more exposure to rugby.'' Williams' rugby resume is an extensive one having been a former captain and coach of Police and coach of Mariners besides being on the executive of the BRFU. Nowadays he's perhaps best known as the often entertaining announcer during World Rugby Classic matches.

CHANGING OF THE GUARD -- John Williams (left) replaced Peter Borland (right) as president of the Bermuda Rugby Football Union last month.