Dogs won’t cop Sonny Bill’s walkout
Related coverage
- St George Illawarra Dragons news
- Rugby Union news
- Wallabies news
- New Zealand All Blacks news
- Rugby League news
- Sonny Bill Williams news
- 2011 Wallabies squad news
Bulldogs chief executive Todd Greenberg says the club will take out an injunction to prevent Sonny Bill Williams from playing elsewhere after the star back-rower reportedly flew to France to take up a $3 million rugby union offer today.
Sonny Bill could play in centres for All Blacks, Kahui
More league
Panthers claw up the eight
Raiders put a bad week in the past to kill Titans
Roosters up for key clash
Williams stunned the rugby league fraternity by walking out on the Bulldogs, reportedly to link-up with second division rugby club Toulon on a lucrative two-year deal.
Toulon, however, have denied reports that Williams has come to terms with the club.
Mourad Boudjellal, Toulon’s president, told AFP that Williams and the club had spoken a while ago but there was no deal.
“We did make contact some time ago with Sonny Bill Williams,” Boudjellal said from Miami.
“He said to us that he wanted to move from rugby league to union but that is where it finished.
“I cannot confirm what was on Canterbury’s website. However, I deny that it is true.”
Greenberg said Williams’s manager Khoder Nasser had confirmed this afternoon his client had left the country but the `Dogs boss said if a deal had been done he had no intention of letting the 22-year-old take it up.
“Quite simply, if Sonny intends to play overseas, we’ll be looking to take out an injunction which will effectively stop him playing in France, England or anywhere else he intends to do it,” Greenberg said.
Asked whether the issue was likely to end up in the courts, Greenberg said: “I suggest at this early stage that you are probably right but we are going to have to review all our options to make sure that the Bulldogs are well covered.
“I’ve had QCs look at his contract and there is absolutely no get-out clause.
“I’m shocked that he’s left because I saw him Oatley at 7.30am this morning.
Williams had been chosen in the Bulldogs team to play the Dragons on Monday night in Sydney.
NRL chief executive David Gallop, who will hold a special press conference at midday tomorrow to address the issue, said he was disappointed with Williams’s decision.
“It is unacceptable to walk out on a contract,” he said.
“If Sonny Bill Williams has personal issues, we will be happy to discuss them with him but we will support the Bulldogs in enforcing their contract and that includes preventing him from playing other than under that contract.
“Certainly the club, his teammates and the fans are entitled to some explanation for what has happened.”
Bulldogs greats were unanimous in admonishing Williams’ walk-out, with ex-chief executive Steve Mortimer claiming the Kiwi had let down a club which had gone out of its way to accommodate him.
“I’m absolutely bewildered after what this club has done for Sonny,” Mortimer said.
“But I’m sure there’s more to this than what’s out there.”
Former premiership-winning lock Paul Langmack claimed it wasn’t just the Bulldogs who had been let down.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s not just what he’s done to the club, it’s what he’s done to the game,” Langmack said.
“I’m in shock. Canterbury have bent over backwards for him. It’s a problem for the game that blokes think they can just pack up and walk out.”
The New Zealand Test star had been signed to the Bulldogs until 2012 for an estimated $450,000 a year.
But he’s been at loggerheads with the club for sometime, claiming he’s worth more money.
Williams was also upset with what he perceives as excessive media scrutiny into his private life and at the Bulldogs making him publicly admit he had problems with alcohol last year.
His departure comes after St George Illawarra centre Mark Gasnier also signed a deal with French rugby club Stade Francais worth an estimated $2 million over two years.
Toulon are currently in the second division of French rugby but have been promoted to the top flight for next season.
They are coached by former All Blacks great Tana Umaga, with former Wallabies captain George Gregan – the world’s most-capped rugby player – having joined the club after retiring from Test football following last year’s World Cup.
© AAP 2012Enjoy sports? Enjoy a bargain? All Sports Online has your favourite sporting brands at up to 70% off. Online only, premium quality sporting goods and merchandise at discounted prices. Get a deal now.
Do you have what it takes to become a sports writer? Write for the roar
Rugby League articles
- Rugby league’s new era: where to now? (18)
- New dawn for rugby league gets underway (11)
- Rugby league commission ushers in new era (3)
- Ennis confident about his NRL fitness
- Why sporting seasons should never cross paths (35)
- Independent Commission four years in the making, but worth the wait (26)
- Kearney still to choose Eels kicker
- Rugby league’s new era: where to now? (18)
- Federal Court has it wrong on sports broadcast copyright (48)
- An open letter to Channel Nine (107)
- The NRL’s scariest players (56)
- Is the All Stars match increasing the divide? (25)
- Channel Nine needs NRL-cricket ODI compromise (36)
- The NRL needs a vision (52)
Steffy said | July 27th 2008 @ 12:36am | Report comment
If he has signed for Toulon (it doesn’t matter what Toulon are saying, french unionites are rarely to be trusted) then Canterbury must take every action available to them to prevent him playing union in France (or elsewhere)
Sluggy said | July 27th 2008 @ 3:11am | Report comment
Toulon had to submit a squad list on 15 July and he was on it. The FFR will not give a toss about an NRL club, so that leaves Court action. Seeking to restrain someone from working is always a difficult claim to win on, and it depends on what a French/ EU Court will do, or whether it will enforce an injucntion issued out of the NSW Supreme Court. Canterbury need to be careful that any action they take doesn’t end up showing that apart from claiming some monetary recompense, they can’t do anything about it.
Steffy said | July 27th 2008 @ 10:16am | Report comment
French union is well known for its lack of morals and, frankly, SBW and french union deserve each other but I daresay SBW has assets in Australia and Canterbury should be pursuing those in recompense for the contract he signed and has walked out on.
John Ryan said | July 27th 2008 @ 11:00am | Report comment
Well this is the same code that jumped into bed with the NAZIs during the war,a country that had a long history of collaboration during the war,what would you expect from Rugby Union
Spiro Zavos said | July 27th 2008 @ 11:07am | Report comment
As I understand it restraint of trade implications were behind the legal defence of the Packer cricket rebels. As Sluggy says, if the Sonny Bill Williams story is correct and he is going to Toulon it will be fascinating to see how the legal implications of the case works out.
It’s year since I studied comparitive law but I vaguely remember that the Napoleonic code which is the basis of French law is not as stringently defined on the law of contracts as the English-speaking legal systems are. This may apply, too, to EU law.
There is precedent of a sorts for Williams one would think, too, in the Super League fracas which had players moving from one franchise to another with contracts being thrown around and lawyers with writs to the ready at every five paces.
There is one final point that could be relevant. Williams might argue bad faith in his Bulldogs contract in that the salary cap clearly restricted the amount of money he could reasonably expect to have made each year from it. He may argue that he was an unwilling signer of the contract.
As Sluggy says, the Bulldogs and the NRL might rue taking the case to the courts if the salary cap is deemed to a restrictive trade practice.
Spiro Zavos said | July 27th 2008 @ 11:19am | Report comment
John
It was not rugby union that jumped into bed with the Nazis. This is a gross calumny of all the rugby men, including French rugby players, who served in the Allied forces with many losing their lives during the Second World War. Your reference is to a group of politicians in the Vichy government with a rugby background who made rugby league a forbidden game and confiscated the code’s assets.
This Sonny Bill Williams matter is different from the Vichy issue. It is about rugby in France, and the penchant for the clubs to stack their teams to get victories. Peter FitzSimons reports in today’s Sun-Herald that he was the first non-French at Brive 20 years ago. Now only four out of a squad of 40 are Frenchmen.
The French club rugby system is becoming the rugby equivalent of cricket’s IPL. But with a French president of the IRB, Bernard Lapasset, it’s unlikely that the poaching will be restrained. And again as FitzSimons points out, star rugby league players are at bargain basement prices for the cashed-up French clubs.
Mark Gasnier, Sonny Bill Williams and who is next?
Jason Cave said | July 27th 2008 @ 12:51pm | Report comment
What at first looked like a rather ho-hum who-cares match on Monday Night Football, now looks interesting, to see how the Bulldogs respond to the dramas surrinding Sonny Bill Williams. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Williams in an All Black jersey by the time the 2011 RWC comes around-that if the All Blacks want him.
cosmos forever said | July 27th 2008 @ 1:24pm | Report comment
I know there are larger systemic issues at play here, but I always think people running around and making a fuss over one individual actually devalues the game. If someone wants to go that badly (and in this and Gasnier’s cases in particular this has been taking up media tine for months) then just let them go.
As far as I know the Bulldogs won’t have trouble putting a team on the paddock without him.
I just don’t see why the CEO of the code should have to defend the code because of the actions of players and their managers. Have some pride and say “if they don’t want to be here, we don’t want them – because for all we know there are 10 other SBW’s in our junior ranks right now”.
I know it’s not that simple, but sometimes taking the simple approach works!
Having said that – don’t think for a second that Easts, Manly and other clubs that have succeeded with chequebook premierships in the past won’t be licking their lips at this being an invitation to re-ignite the Salary Cap debate. I can feel Gouldy drafting the column as I type…
Phil Coorey said | July 27th 2008 @ 3:28pm | Report comment
What the hell has World War II got to do with this?
Westy said | July 27th 2008 @ 5:32pm | Report comment
Spiro …….you are a little to clever of defensive of Frech rugby. The former Frech Rugby league Federation boss Paul Barriierre died recently on 29 May 2008.. He was a very active member of the Frech resistance during World War 2. He originally played rugby for Esperaza and Carcassone. Members of the Vichy Government with a solid element of facism at its core especially at the provincial level were ardent supporters and advocates of French rugby. Read some of their pronouncements.about rugby virtues. Barrieierre notes at meetings of French rugby officials it was put to French rugby to aquiesce in the compulsory takeover of league’s assets at the hands of the Vichy government was undemocratic pro nazi and betrayal.of France.That French Rugby ignored such pleas is for others to judge.
Barrierre was always a rugby man at heart but given his wartime experiences decided to assist league as its President from 1947 to 1955. He lead the post war Court cases for the recovery of league’s assets from French rugby. League lost. As he commented it was hard most of the judiciry at the time were junior officials in the Vichy government. Remember even the socialist Mitterand was a junior official in Vichy France.
I to do not think this has much to do with anything except that there is primary historical evidence of a contrary view of French rugby to Spiros. French club rugby in Vichy France was not a great place for the resistance to meet.