Some time ago I started writing for Last Word on Sports, with a view to voicing my opinions of this game of hooligans played by gentlemen. However one gentleman I never warmed to was the wunderkind that was – and is – Sonny Bill Williams.
Having lived in Australia during the time Williams abandoned his contract with the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) club Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in favour of playing rugby in France, with no notification to the club themselves, I had formed a fairly negative opinion of the up and coming sports star.
To then watch him take the field in 2011 to join the victorious All Blacks in their Rugby World Cup campaign, and then return to league to join Sydney City Roosters as part of a tilt at a spot on the Kiwis Rugby League World Cup squad, at the apparent expense of other players, did little to dampen that negativity.
Further antagonism came with his boxing career and the alleged questions around the number of rounds in the match against South African boxer Francois Botha. Speculation raged in the media around the match which was supposedly meant to go 12 rounds but was called in the 10th. Botha’s camp made claims against the Williams camp, however ultimately the Williams victory has stood.
With all of this history – much of which is documented in articles I’ve written here – I was not exactly thrilled to hear Williams was again included in the All Blacks squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. I labelled him a show pony, I called him a mercenary, I once suggested he was everything that was wrong with New Zealand rugby.
Now I sit here some six weeks later, knife and fork in hand as I prepare to eat a very large serving of humble pie. I sit here preparing to type a sentence I never thought I would ever hear myself think.
Sonny Bill Williams, I was wrong, I’ve judged you unfairly and I apologise.
I watched this All Blacks side with great interest throughout its 2015 campaign. Much has been made of the (alleged) retirement of Richie McCaw, alongside such legends as Daniel Carter, Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith and so on.
Williams however was quietly achieving a limelight all his own, but for very different reasons. On field Williams was still exhibiting his powerhouse strength and speed, but he was also showing an intelligence and maturity that saw him providing a serious and positive contribution to the team. More than this though, he was showing something very special post match and off field.
The human side of Williams has been something unique and special to behold. This is the man who gave two tickets to an All Blacks match to Syrian refugees, simply so they could share in the joy of the game. This is the man who paused post match in the quarter finals battle with the Springboks to share a moment of empathy with the heartbroken Jesse Kriel.
This is the man who went from rugby player to super hero yesterday evening. Young fan Charlie Lines impulsively dashed out from the sidelines at Twickenham as the All Blacks were doing their lap of honour post victory. What happened has now been widely shared by the world media, but is none the less truly heart warming. For those that missed the story:
As Lines rushes onto the field, he is brought down in a massive tackle by one of the Twickenham security staff. Ordinarily this is where the story would end. Not so for this youngster. Raw video taken by Brazilian Alma Media shows the stunned young man hit the ground, and almost instantly Nehe Milner-Skudder is by Lines’ side helping him to his feet, before things take a turn for the seriously special. Williams is seen reaching a protective arm around the awestruck young man, then is seen pushing the security guard back with a very clear message of “he’s with us”. Williams takes a moment to make sure Lines is ok, all the time with that protective arm around his shoulder, before leading him back to his family. Before leaving, Williams takes his own winners medal off from around his neck and drapes it around the neck of Lines, who is now stunned for a whole other reason.
Suffice to say the story has gone global, and viral, for all the right reasons. In the past the cynical side of me would have looked at this story and thought “It’s just Williams being a show pony again.”
It’s not.
It’s that simple.
This is not the Sonny Bill Williams show.
Watch the footage again. Look closely. Williams doesn’t once acknowledge the cameras. He doesn’t even throw them a smile. He is totally focussed on the welfare of his new charge, and in making sure the young man gets back to his family safely. The same could be said of the gesture to Kriel, Williams had no way of knowing if he was being filmed or photographed, all he wanted to do was spare a moment for a brother on the battle field.
This Sonny Bill Williams is one that I view through new eyes. I was fortunate enough to meet Williams after the All Blacks v Tonga game in Newcastle and I have to admit I was struck then but the humility and genuineness that he was exhibiting. This was no media event, this was simply a bunch of people hanging out after the match, in which Williams was free to be himself. I have to admit, as a person Sonny Bill Williams struck me as nothing short of a gentleman. He was open, engaging, and flat out friendly.
Williams has had many opportunities to show his true character and nature throughout the Rugby World Cup. He has made the most of this opportunity, and he has shown me in no uncertain terms that his character, in my opinion, is that of a role model who will only serve to increase the value of this sport around the world. He has become a man I’ve gone from reviling, to respecting.
McCaw, Smith, Nonu, Carter and company are slowly bowing out. In Williams – as well as Milner-Skudder, Sam Cane, Dane Coles et al – I now see that New Zealand rugby is securing a future that will continue the already strong legacy that has been built. I dare say the best is yet to come, and in Williams New Zealand rugby has found more than just a great player, they have found a real ambassador.
Which is another sentence I thought I’d never utter.
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