Sonny Born to Win
Sonny Bill Williams (SBW) is quite possibly the biggest thing to hit rugby union in recent years, in more ways than one.
At 6ft 3inches and weighing in at 108kgs (or 17 stone) he is a force to be reckoned with.
SBW grew up playing rugby league and was spotted by a talent scout leading to him being signed by the NRL team the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at the age of 16 making his 1st team debut at 18. He was also picked to play for New Zealand Rugby League that same year.
In 2007 he signed a new 5 year contract with the Bulldogs supposedly worth $2.5million. However in July 2008, SBW moved to French Top 14 club Toulon, for a rumoured transfer fee of £300,000. This highly controversial move did not go down well with New Zealand Rugby League fans and he was labelled a "Traitor" in a number of news paper headlines.
Sonny previously lead quite a controversial lifestyle, being arrested for drink driving, and being caught in compromising positions with women other than his girlfriend. But he has since turned to Islam and has been making the newspaper headlines for his sporting efforts only.
SBW's contract ended with Toulon in June 2010, they then offered him a reported $6million to stay with the club. This would have been the biggest rugby contract since the sport turned pro. Instead Sonny decided to sign for Canterbury, playing for the Crusaders in the new Super 15, in order to pursue his ambition to play for the All Blacks.
Like former Rugby League, turned Union converts such as Chris Ashton, Jason Robinson, Berrick Barnes, and his fellow All Black Brad Thorn, Sonny Bill has made a seamless transition into rugby union, although there have been moments where he has made questionable tackles.
The Rugby Union community tends to split over their opinions of Sonny Bill. There are a number of people who question his commitment to Rugby Union and the All Blacks and whether or not he is going to continue playing rugby union for years to come, or will he decide to up and leave as soon as the 2011 World Cup has finished?
Their worries seem justified because he was unable to play in the opening rounds of the Super 15 due to a hamstring "injury" but he was able to train for and then compete in his boxing match. Even the fact that he wants to be a Professional Boxer is enough for his commitment to be questioned. We don't see the likes of Dan Carter or Richie McCaw competing in other sports, they are focused on playing rugby, and rugby only!
Then there are the people who feel his style of play is not suited for Rugby Union. Certain people, mentioning no names, *cough* Peter de Villiers *cough* have made outlandish statements regarding his playing ability, stating that his rugby league style offloads are "not the norm in union and called it "nonsense". I respectfully disagree.
I am a huge fan of Sonny Bill. His offloads have changed the game, yes, but for the better. This offload allows the attacking team to continue passing as if the tackle was never made resulting in more attacking rugby and more tries, which, at the end of the day is what we all want. When kids and adults alike play, they are now trying to incorporate this offload in their game and it is now being referred to as the "The Sonny Bill Williams . Even watching the Super 15, other players, particularly in the New Zealand Conference are using this one-handed rugby league style offload more and more often.
With regards to the forthcoming Rugby World Cup, Williams must surely be in contention to start at 2nd 5/8 (inside centre), never mind just making the World Cup squad. His performances this season for the Crusaders have been impressive. He has played 11 games, scoring 4 tries. But that's not the best part. The relationship he has built up with Dan Carter (who will inevitably play 1st 5/8 for the All Blacks) is going to work in his favour. The partnership he has also made with his outside centre Robbie Fruean will undoubtedly help both players in their quest to start for New Zealand thus giving Graham Henry an even bigger headache than he wanted when selecting the All Blacks back-line. .
I look forward to watching New Zealand no matter what team they put out, but Sonny Bill brings a certain amount of "star quality that other teams cannot boast. I hope he continues to play attractive rugby we all love to watch, and of course playing the code of rugby union for many years to come.
