First off, let me be clear – I am definitively NOT a Sonny Bill Williams fan. Fortunately, as this is an opinion piece, I’m allowed to be opinionated.
The only thing that Rugby news sites can agree on concerning Sonny Bill’s return to New Zealand Rugby is that they don’t all agree (with the move). ESPN is saying the deal is done, New Zealand Media is saying it isn’t. Wait, it is….no hang on….ummm…oh, hell.
Which for me kind of sums up the whole Sonny Bill Williams sideshow/train wreck. Okay, I’ll admit the kid has talent; he’s a great athlete, he knows his way around the field, he’s fast, strong and powerful. He’s also, in my opinion, a selfish, egotistical mercenary who has surrounded himself with a bevvy of toxic souls who are only feeding his self destruction.
To provide a bit of context…
Sonny Bill Williams originally started his professional sports career with the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, a franchise in the now Australian National Rugby League (NRL) competition. From early on it was obvious Williams was a phenomenal talent, albeit a bit hot-headed at times. His shoulder charging tackles were the sort that registered on the Richter scale, and from 2004 until 2008 Williams served as a key part of a team that proved to be a formidable force in the competition.
Williams hooked up with a new player manager in July 2008, one Khoder Nasser, who also managed the former league player and professional boxer Anthony ‘The Man” Mundine. Without warning, Williams suddenly left the NRL in the middle of the season, and signed with French Rugby Union team Toulon. One of the things that irritated many fans of Williams was the fact that his departure wasn’t notified to his team until after he was in Europe. Williams cited salary cap concerns, and a desire to play union for New Zealand. He wanted to work with Tana Umaga. What he got was one of the greatest controversies in the sports history, and he became the target of anger and resentment from both league and union fans who saw his move as little short of treachery.
Williams, however, did develop within the the ranks of Toulon and returned to New Zealand to play for the Canterbury Crusaders Super Rugby team in a much-hyped preparation for a tilt at the Rugby World Cup with the All Blacks.
Yet, even while the Rugby World Cup was on, speculation was rife that Williams was plotting another return to League, and whispers came out about a supposed deal with the Sydney City Roosters. Thankfully these rumours were roundly and firmly denied.
Sorry, did I say denied? I meant to say and then Williams signed with the Roosters at the beginning of the 2013 season, set to continue his rise in the ranks of league and…no…wait a sec….he’s coming back to….
Oh come on man!!!!
Look, yes Williams is good. Yes he sells tickets. But to Williams, loyalty is just another of the many multisyllabic words his manager won’t explain to him. The NZ Rugby Union has a wealth of talent in the ITM cup to draw from, guys that have played up from grass roots level to get into their provincial teams. They’ve worked their asses off, and this million dollar show pony is going to come prancing in and take the spot of someone I believe is more deserving, and more likely to last in the role longer than five minutes. If Waikato signs Williams – which to be fair they probably have already done – I think it’s a huge mistake. The circus that will come to town will rival that which follows Tim Tebow around. He can play, but at what cost to the team, and to the sport.
I sincerely hope Waikato comes to it’s senses, but unfortunately this is business. And in business, often sense and sensibility gets drowned out by dollar signs.
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photo credit: Paul Barnard Fotografie via photopin cc
