Ospreys winger Shane Williams was named the International Rugby Board player of the year last month © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Shane Williams

Tournaments/Tours: Heineken Cup | Celtic League | Heineken Cup | Celtic League

Teams: Ospreys | Wales

Ospreys coach Sean Holley is confident winger Shane Williams will be fit for his side's crucial Heineken Cup clashes with Perpignan and Leicester next month.

The Wales international has been sidelined for his side's last two games with a shoulder injury but Holley expects him to be ready for the resumption of European hostilities on January 17 and maybe even the Magners League clash with Munster on January 9.

"We have given him an injection, some rest and hopefully that will be sufficient for the European games," Holley told BBC Sport. "At the moment our physio is telling me he could be available for Munster.

"Shane has a rotator cuff strain and it is a little bit more serious than we first thought. He did it out in Treviso (on 13 December) and landed awkwardly on an elbow and therefore there is a bit of damage there.

"We are taking a sensible view not to rush him back with some big games coming up. Whether it will need further exploration we don't know yet."

International Rugby Board player of the year Williams missed his side's 20-6 win over the Scarlets on Saturday and he will also miss the New Year's Eve Magners League derby with Cardiff Blues.

In related news, the Welsh Rugby Union has announced that it will use the Government change in VAT legislation to deliver a financial and operational boost to community rugby clubs across Wales. New initiatives to help clubs improve their administrative operations are to be funded by the VAT savings on international ticket sales.

The projects will be approved by the WRU as part of a continuing focus on developing community rugby across Wales. The Welsh Rugby Union has decided to allocate the extra income from the reduced VAT payments to fund club improvements.

The WRU Group Financial Director, Steve Phillips, said:"It is vitally important that the WRU, as the governing body, assists all our community clubs and help them operate efficiently off-the-field as well as on it.

"We are indebted to the volunteers involved in running Welsh rugby. They do a great job and we want to give them all the help we can to ensure they continue to enjoy success and sustainability. We will be contacting clubs in due course with our ideas of how they can improve and then they can decide whether to follow the advice we give them.

"We are currently in a tough economic climate outside our direct control so it is especially important to run efficient administrative systems and structures. The reduction of VAT offered us the perfect opportunity to isolate some funding which can be used directly to help community clubs."