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League Of His Own

With two years of rugby behind him, Sonny Bill Williams is finally beginning to get to grips with the 15-man code. But is he good enough to be an All Black and does he even want to give it a try? GREGOR PAUL reports.

Tuesday, 08 June 2010

Gregor Paul

Everyone sees the athlete first, the rugby player second when it comes to Sonny Bill Williams. And for most of last year, it was hard to see much of the rugby player in Williams at all. He, by most accounts, took his league portfolio to union with unconvincing results.

If he was a league player lost in union for much of 2009 he has found his way in 2010. The habits of the 13-man code have slowly been eradicated from his game.

His never-ending run of injuries has ended allowing him to play consistently and for the first time since he sensationally walked out of the NRL in 2008, Sonny Bill Williams looks like a rugby player.

Everyone is a little excited by his evolution. Rugby, having seen so many of its finest players lured to league in the 1980s and early 1990s is a little smug about the capture of Williams.

In 2008, Williams was the face of the NRL – the poster boy for a sport that thought it was largely immune from the encroaching claws of rival codes. And then, one day, he upped and left for France, sneaking out of Australia and saying to hell with his five-year Bulldogs contract everyone thought was binding.

Rugby was as stunned as league. No one had been badgering Williams to switch codes. No one had the slightest inkling such drama was in the offing. Talk about lucky break – the equivalent would be Dan Carter pitching up in Wigan next week, begging to play for the famous old league club.

Amid the kerfuffle, the legal threats and anger, there wasn’t an opportunity to really assess precisely what Williams was bringing to the 15-man code. The big picture was obvious – Toulon had bought a rare athlete. A 1.93m, 109kg, agile, quick, rugged, young man. Williams had shown in the NRL he was the king of the off-load; an expert at playing with his hands out so he could slip them round the back of the tackler and pop the ball.

He had an innate understanding of defensive patterns and one-on-one, he was brave and powerful. The base was there – no one disputed that.

But rugby is not league and while there are similarities in the sense they are both played with an oval ball and are both full contact, there are plenty who have mastered one and been fairly rotten at the other.

So few who went to union in the amateur days made their mark and likewise, heavy traffic now flows in the other direction with a dire ratio of success.

To be excited by his athletic potential was mandatory. History as a guide, though, pointed towards tempering that anticipation until there was some evidence that there was also a rugby player within Williams.

It’s been a while coming, but it has come and now he sits at a crossroads that offers him acutely different routes.

In the final months of Toulon’s Top 14 campaign, Williams began to be more and more influential. He had the confidence to get his hands on the ball and make himself the central figure.

Former Bay of Plenty coach Vern Cotter has been at leading French club Clermont for four years and has watched Williams progress. “Now he looks like a rugby player playing rugby,” said Cotter recently to Sunday News.

“It has taken him a little while to integrate into a role in 15-a-side rugby but he has enormous talent in line-breaks, off-loads, power and speed. He is a remarkable sportsman and what I’ve seen over the last two years is that despite the injuries – which have stopped him playing consistently – his form and understanding has risen a lot over the last three months.

“Toulon have won their last eight games and he’s been a big part of that. He’s finally been able to stay on the paddock for a longer period of time and there’s a lot more cohesion in the way he plays with his team-mates now and that comes with the understanding.”

Williams is learning the subtleties and nuances of his craft. He’s beginning to understand the differences between league and union and he’s beginning to look more and more like he’s going to conquer the 15-man game.

Toulon used him mainly in the midfield, although he had stints on the wing and there were games where he was shifted into the loose forwards.

To be able to switch jerseys so readily alludes to the quality footballer he is but it also presents some uncertainty.

At the time of writing, there were multiple offers on the table for Williams whose existing Toulon contract expires this month. There were NRL clubs after him and there were UK rugby clubs after him. But it was supposedly a straight choice between staying at Toulon or signing with the New Zealand Rugby Union.

The deal to stay in Toulon was clouded by the club having not yet settled on where they see Williams in the team dynamic. Switching from centre, to wing, to second five to flanker is probably not realistic for the most seasoned footballer yet alone one who is in only his third year of professional rugby.

What Toulon do have in their favour is enormous wealth. A recent report by French newspaper La Dimanche reported that Williams is the fourth highest paid player in France earning an estimated €320,000 (NZ$600,000) after tax.

That is big money and few entities in any code, in any part of the world will be able to match or even get close to that sort of remuneration.

It was little wonder that throughout May, as speculation mounted as to the playing future of Williams, that Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal remained confident the 24-year-old New Zealander would be staying in the South of France.

The only alternative offer being taken seriously as far as Boudjellal could tell was the one being mounted by the New Zealand Rugby Union.

For a man that has built a side of mercenaries on the depth of his pockets, he shows an acute understanding of how powerful an incentive the All Black jersey remains. Boudjellal knew Carl Hayman found it hard to turn down the All Blacks and the owner of Toulon was aware of how much consideration Williams was giving a switch to his homeland.

It’s possible that Williams might already have made up his mind. But the choice as it was in late May seemed relatively straightforward; he could stay in Toulon and be rich, very rich; or he could head back to New Zealand and chase the noble dream of being an All Black. The latter would involve taking a considerable pay cut in the short term at least, but if he were to make it all the way to the test arena, he’ll be both financially and emotionally rich.

At 24, staying at Toulon for two more years would delay rather than kill his All Black dream. It would, however, kill any chance he has of playing at the 2011 World Cup – something that clearly motivates him and interests the current All Black coaches.

And this is where the intrigue with Williams really lies. Is he actually good enough to be an All Black? It’s one thing to look good in French club rugby, another to play test football for the world’s number one ranked side.

The All Black coaches have met with Williams and talked to him at length. Defence supremo Wayne Smith took the opportunity to touch base with Williams in Toulon last November when the All Blacks were in Marseilles to play France.

“He was hell of a good company,” says Smith of Williams. “He really impressed me with his clarity and honesty. For a young guy he had a good understanding of what he wants to achieve and what he needs to do to achieve it.”

Essentially Smith was there to get a handle on the individual – this All Black panel goes beyond the player and wants to know about the individual; what makes him tick; what type of person he is and whether he has the ability to uphold the All Blacks’ off-field expectations.

He also wanted to let Williams know that the selectors have kept tabs on him; they have seen videos of some of his games and kept in contact with Tana Umaga – Williams’ mentor at Toulon. Through that network, they have deduced that Williams is a player worth chasing. Partly because of what he offers right now but more because they believe that if he were to be exposed to Super 14 and the New Zealand way of doing things, he could become something truly special in time.

The coaches haven’t made him any guarantees. They can’t do that. All they have done is encourage him to come home and see how far he can go. “He’s got a personal decision to make, whether he comes back and plays provincial rugby then tries to get a Super Rugby contract, then he’ll have to be judged on his ability and whether he’s good enough for the World Cup,” says All Black head coach Graham Henry.

“That’s a major decision for him, and I’ve encouraged him to do that. Whether he’s in a position to do that, I’m not sure. I’ve spoken to Tana about him as well. Sonny Bill knows we’d be pleased if he came home and played at the levels below to see if he’s good enough to play at the levels above.”

It wouldn’t be good form for the All Black coaches to declare publicly that they think Williams does indeed have what it takes to go all the way. That would build the pressure, suggest they have stage managed the whole thing and inevitably result in embarrassment for both player and coaches. Expectation has to be played down in the public arena.

Privately, though, the coaches might hold firmer views on Williams. He is precisely the sort of athlete they would back themselves to mold into a world class rugby player. And they would back themselves to be able to do it in time for the World Cup.

Looking at the currently available stocks, the All Black coaches can be content, but can they be excited. In Richie McCaw and Dan Carter they have two of the best players on the planet – men who do the basics at a higher level than everyone else. They have a core of good, experienced All Blacks to back them up, namely – Andrew Hore, Tony Woodcock, Brad Thorn, Jimmy Cowan, Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith and Mils Muliaina. It’s a good side but it maybe lacks something of the unexpected – a real point of difference that takes them to a new level. That could be Williams – a bruising player loaded with unconventional ideas and skills.

The presence of Williams in the All Black World Cup squad will help the selectors sleep a little easier. With him on board, they will have some x-factor, a real, random element few teams will be able to work out.

It won’t be a disaster if he doesn’t come, but it would help. And if he does come, Williams needs to make a careful choice about where he plays his rugby. Position-wise, Henry sees Williams in the midfield. Province-wise…that is less clear.

While he’ll have to play in the ITM Cup this year to be eligible for Super 15 selection, that’s more to satisfy the criteria than to prove his ability. While guarantees can’t be made around All Black selection they can be made – quietly – around Super 15 selection.

Williams has already done enough in France to merit Super 15 selection but he has to, at least, go through the motions of playing provincially which is why, symbolically, he’s more likely to head to a bigger province.

Counties Manukau have been linked with Williams and having surprised everyone by signing Umaga, they can’t be discounted. “We would be interested as everyone else would be,” says Counties coach Milton Haig about Williams. “Sonny Bill is obviously a quality athlete. He’s tall, very quick and can off-load. He’s learning the nuances of rugby and I think now he has the right people in his ear.

“He’s got Tana there and also having Jonny Wilkinson playing at first five is pretty helpful. I don’t know whether we would be able to put together the sort of package we did for Tana as we honestly haven’t given it any thought.

“But Sonny Bill is high profile and he’s a popular person. I think if he decides to come home there will be a mad scramble for him.”

It’s still hard to see Williams in Pukekohe. As close as he might have become to Umaga, it would serve Williams better to be part of a provincial team that has a chance of pushing for the play-offs.

As for his Super 15 placement…the Chiefs and Blues would be the strongest contenders. As a former pupil at Mount Albert Grammar School, the Blues would appeal on a number of fronts. Their training ground is in the heart of Mt. Albert. They are also lacking an out and out centre. Rene Ranger, an exciting prospect, looks better suited to the wing and Isaia Toeava is playing so well at fullback that there must be a strong argument he should consider making that a permanent move.

Anthony Tuitavake is leaving for Japan creating the prospect of Williams teaming up in the Blues midfield with either Benson Stanley or Luke McAlister.

Given the way the Blues played in 2010, the prospect of Williams joining them is genuinely exciting. Results may not have gone their way, but the Blues played extraordinarily good attacking rugby at times.

The Chiefs would be able to make a strong play for Williams on the basis they haven’t settled on the right midfield combination. The prospect of Williams at second five and Richard Kahui at centre is one that will send shivers through coaches everywhere.

Williams is a phenomenal athlete. By 2011 he might be seen as a phenomenal rugby player.

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