Sonny Bill Williams in action in Rugby League, Boxing and Union
In the 18th minute of the Canterbury-Bay of Plenty ITM match at Christchurch on Friday night, Sonny Bill Williams strode out on to the field, rather nervously it seemed to me, to make his debut as a provincial rugby union player in New Zealand.
His initial contributions were those of a player overly anxious to show off his talents. One pass under pressure bounced into the hands of a runner. And then after a strong break he unloaded a pass that went forward. He should have taken the tackle and set up a ruck.
But after this, when he realised he could really foot it in this company, he began to play with power and precision. He has great hands. He spiralled long passes from the middle of the field to his outside centre and wings near the touch line. He broke strongly to unload to runners surging on his shoulder.
Towards the end of the game he produced a sliding, diving tackle that prevented the flier Lelia Masaga from scoring a try.
The Sonny Bill who looked slightly out of his depth in Sydney last year has been replaced, after a season in France, by a powerful inside centre who tackles effectively, passes brilliantly, runs strongly and reads the game like a union rather than a league player.
The Sunday Telegraph sports writers who have never forgiven Williams for defecting from rugby league will be disappointed to know that the undoubted talents that made him a league star will also make him a formidable union player.
I would say that even now, admittedly on the evidence of only one match, he is a better union player than Lote Tuqiri or Wendell Sailor ever became. And as he gets more comfortable with the continuous nature of union and the positioning requirements involved in not playing in a zone, he will get even better.
He has a magnificent physique and he brings to the inside centre position the sort of power that Ma’a Nonu has, although he is nowhere near Nonu right now (and may never be) in his all-round skills in the union game.
What I found most impressive about his play was his ability to draw defenders away from the runners as he made shrewd dummy runs. Canterbury set up a great try scored by their block-busting outside centre Robbie Fruean when Williams made an inside cut, took a couple of defenders with him, for the ball to go wide to Fruean who galloped 40m for a try.
Right now in New Zealand rugby the All Blacks have one master inside centre, Nonu, and a journeyman back-up Winston Stanley. On the evidence of Friday night, Stanley’s days of being number 2 in the pecking order look very much numbered.
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Colin N said | September 5th 2010 @ 3:09am | Report comment
“Right now in New Zealand rugby the All Blacks have one master inside centre, Nonu, and a journeyman back-up Winston Stanley.”
Winston Stanley is the younger brother of Benson Stanley, the ‘journeyman’ centre you are referring to. Do you get it wrong on purpose?
ohtani's jacket said | September 5th 2010 @ 10:50am | Report comment
There’s at least one of these clangers in every article. Somebody needs to proof check this stuff. Benson Stanley is 25 years-old.
CizzyRascal said | September 5th 2010 @ 5:33am | Report comment
I’m sure he’ll get a spot on the plain up North, but I’ll wait to judge him over an entire SuperXV season. He was just hitting some real form at the end of the Top 14, but hasn’t played in a while and I’m guessing it’s noticeable.
I know Williams is the centre everyone is talking about in New Zealand, but if anyone has watched Northland over the past two weekends, it is Rene Ranger who people should be keeping an eye on. Apart from a kicking game, the lad has everything in his locker and is the next star of New Zealand rugby.
Nick_KIA said | September 6th 2010 @ 7:13am | Report comment
+1. That was an outrageously good run and pass to set up Jared Payne. Best try of the year so far IMO.
jmt said | September 6th 2010 @ 8:25pm | Report comment
True that;
Ranger was the difference between Wellington winning by 15 or closer to 5!
Still think Ranger needs to get his defence in order, as it is all power and spear, or too high supported by a missed tackle as was witnessed when Welling ton went the length of the park to score their final try!
Taniwha said | September 5th 2010 @ 6:09am | Report comment
Winston Stanley? Or Benson Stanley?
SBW has a lot of depth to work his way through. Toeava, Ranger, Smith, Fruean, Kahui, Nonu, McAlister, and Stanley all fighting for a Centers spot.
Not a bad cluster of players for Henry to have to choose from.
Sam said | September 5th 2010 @ 6:36am | Report comment
So true Tamiwha. Spiro made an absolute mare of this article. Sayin the ABs ONLY have Nonu and ‘winston’. Fact is Toeva and Kahui would be straight in ahead of Benson if available and they are fantastic players. You counted 7 awesome centres there, thats incredible by anyones standards.
kingplaymaker said | September 5th 2010 @ 7:11am | Report comment
A crucial point is that SBW converted to union younger than any of Sailor, Rogers or Tuqiri (even amongst those three, the youngest to convert, Tuqiri, was the most successful). This proves the clear point that league players should be acquired when they are youngest. After 25 is a risk and a possibly wasted investment. Why buy a 28 year old when you could get a 25 year old? And why get a 25 year old when you could get a 22 or 20 year-old. The next stage backwards is the most ideal, buying them before they have become well-known, but it is not always easy to do.
It will be interesting to see how the All Blacks could fit him in. He seems to me fast enough for 12 but too slow for 13. But then is he any slower than Conrad Smith? And if he did play 12, would it be more effective for the ABs to move Nonu to 13, drop Smith, and so have two incredibly powerful linebreakers in the same midfield?
This should give the Wallabies pause for reflection. The three truly astounding young league players were: SBW, Inglis and Hayne. The All Blacks have one of them, why don’t the Wallabies get the other two? They are just as young as SBW and could make just as successful conversions. Of course with the attacking play on show today the Wallabies may feel they don’t need them, but they will have to face far more determined defenses than this Springbok one, and although their four playmakers managed to play each other straight through the Boks, at some point linebreakers will be necessary.
Hence I repeat my plea to Spiro to call up O’Neill and get him to buy Inglis and Hayne. Graham Henry and the NZRFU went on a highly successful charm offensive to lure SBW and O’Neill could do the same. Inglis is still unsigned by Brisbane and Hayne has a get-out clause with Paramatta.
A backline with Genia, Cooper, Giteau, O’Connor, Beale, Inglis and Hayne would allow the Wallabies to win the World Cup. All the other pieces are in the team or will be when injuries are over, bar top class strike runners. One phone call would sort that out.
CizzyRascal said | September 5th 2010 @ 9:22am | Report comment
Actually, Lote Tuqiri was younger converting to Union than SBW.
Also, you talk about buying League talent. Why not just try get kids playing Union instead of League when they first want to take up rugby.
Australian rugby must create its own factory for young players, not take the quick-fix and have the NRL as some very expensive nursery.
kingplaymaker said | September 5th 2010 @ 9:26am | Report comment
Cizzy SBW was 22, Tuqiri 23.
Of course it’s best to get young league players converting to union, but it takes time, Super rugby only offers five teams contracts so many young players can’t be picked up, and so getting more young league players over wouldn’t have an effect for a few years so those two players could be a stop-gap.
CizzyRascal said | September 5th 2010 @ 9:49am | Report comment
Sorry I was wrong, Sonny Bill was 22 when he went to Union. Tuqiri was the same age when he signed. Very little difference really.
Also, you say no point getting young kids playing Union as there aren’t any places for them to play Super Rugby, yet you want to deny the guys who do play by signing League players?
Have I got that right?
kingplaymaker said | September 5th 2010 @ 10:02am | Report comment
No, I said there is very much point in signing young league players, but the problem union faces is that with only five teams worth of places they can only sign a limited number as they only have limited number of contracts to give. The NRL has 16 teams to offer contracts.
I personally think they should add another team in Sydney and the Gold Coast immediately to remedy this, as well as to generally spread the game and expand the fan base.
In a dream world if there were ten teams, say the current five, two more in Sydney, one on the Gold Coast and two more in Adelaide and Newcastle, then it would all be much better.
One day it might be possible to expand Super rugby to that number, beginning with New Zealand, Pacific Island, Argentinian, general foreign players and current league converts, and then there would be no need for a national competition.
That SBW and Tuqiri are the same age in converting is why I think the former should succeed like the latter (he did for the first five years, it is forgotten.)
Jamesb said | September 5th 2010 @ 9:01am | Report comment
Toeava, Kahui, Fruean and SBW to make the AB squad. Geez, other teams wouold kill for that quality, and they are just back-ups!!!
Spiro Zavos said | September 5th 2010 @ 9:30am | Report comment
Homer has nodded again. Benson Stanley is the journeyman and thanks for the corrections.
I don’t think that Kahui, Toeva, Ranger, Fruean and all the exciting outside centre prospects in New Zealand are natural inside centres. They seem to me to be outside centres in the way they play, especially with their passing game which is nowhere near as slick as that of Sonny Williams.
McAlister is the only other possibility and his goal-kicking is excellent, although he didn’t kick for North Harbour over the weekend. But he makes silly mistakes too often to be regarded as a back-up inside centre and his defence is a bit shaky.
I agree with Kingplaymaker about Greg Inglis. But I can’t see the ARU taking a punt on another league star after the Tuqiri and Sailor experience. The Wallabies need a big player in the centres and Inglis would certainly fill this role brilliantly.
I’m not so sure about Hayne. He is a sensational league player but so was Sailor.
CizzyRascal said | September 5th 2010 @ 9:35am | Report comment
Spiro,
I think you’ll find that Ranger does in fact have a passing game that is equal to, if not better than Sonny’s. What SBW has in his favour is his size when tackled, so is generally able to free up his hands for offloads and to be fair to the guy, he uses that to his full advantage.
Ranger though has a far greater range of passing and ambidextriously at that.
I could be totally wrong, but having seen Inglis in League, I think he might be better suited to wing in Union.
Sam said | September 5th 2010 @ 10:54am | Report comment
Calling SBW ‘slick’ based on one NPC game is definitely pushing the boat out too soon. And then to talk down the passing game of others is just ridiculous. Richard Kahui especially has a fantastic all round game. If he were Australian he would be one of the darlings of the NRL, the guy is an incredible athlete, just injury prone (but then again so is SBW). You’ve lived in Oz to long and are prone to premature sporting ejaculation.
Hayden said | September 5th 2010 @ 11:12am | Report comment
I am a long time Auckland fan ( sigh ) so somewhat biased, but I think Benson is better than a journeyman. His curse is to be playing at a time when there is so much other talent. For example, Daniel Braid isn’t a journeyman. He ( Stanley ) would walk in to a few other nation’s squads – Aus, England, Wales, Scotland to name a few.
Ben S said | September 5th 2010 @ 9:02pm | Report comment
I don’t think he would, Hayden. Jamie Roberts of Lions fame? I think Stanley is a limited player whose distribution isn’t the greatest and who can’t kick. I wouldn’t want him in the England team. I’d take Kahui and Toeava any day of the week, but not Stanley.
kingplaymaker said | September 5th 2010 @ 9:46am | Report comment
Mcalister seems to be on such a low run of confidence that for the time being he doesn’t look anywhere near All Black quality.
I think the problems the ARU had with Tuqiri and Sailor were more disciplinary than anything else. Tuqiri until 2007 had provided five years excellent international-level play.
I believe the failure of Sailor and Rogers relative to Tuqiri was simply that they both came over at 27 rather than 23 and that was too late to learn the new game to the top level. Had they done so at 23, I’m sure they would have made it like Tuqiri. O’Neill this time would simply have to use a firm hand regarding discipline.
Inglis playing for the Reds and Hayne for the Waratahs would make live and television attendances in the two crucial states soar, and do the same for the Wallabies, easily recovering the cost of buying the players in the first place.
Hayne is excellent but the reason I think he might succeed where Sailor failed is simply that he is 22 and Sailor was 27.
One other point is that was very much the first wave of major conversions. It should be possible to manage them far better now with experience.
However O’Neill had better get his skates on to sign either of them, Inglis will be gone very soon to the Broncos. Hence the need for that magic call Spiro: O’Neill will doubtless be in a good mood today
You would be the saviour of the Wallabies.
allblackfan said | September 5th 2010 @ 10:31am | Report comment
It’s early days, yet, folks!!
I want to see him after half a season under his belt AND after he’s had a chance to square off against All Blacks. I admit I liked what I saw on Friday but I won’t jump on his bandwagon yet!
On Sept 23, Canterbury squares off against Wellington. Hopefully Nonu and SBW will both be playing then we will have a chance to judge SBW’s progress!!
I saw SBW’s post-match comments after Friday night; he says he finds the pace of the game a big stepup from the French game though not as physical.
Hayden said | September 5th 2010 @ 11:13am | Report comment
Too true abfan. Too early to be making calls. I agree with whoever above said watch out for Ranger. That kid has the goods.
Gatesy said | September 5th 2010 @ 12:24pm | Report comment
One swallow does not make a summer – and let’s not forget he seems to be injury prone.
AussieWallaby said | September 5th 2010 @ 12:38pm | Report comment
Again it is way too early to praise someone who hasn’t achieved anything in league yet alone union. If i recall, wasn’t Sonny Bill the one who got monstered when he played for the Barbarians against the wallabies.
You simple cant take a ‘leaguie’ and turn him into a union superstar…..Sonny is too injury prone but I hope he makes the NZ 15 next year…..the year of the choke is fast approaching my kiwi friends.
allblackfan said | September 5th 2010 @ 2:26pm | Report comment
yeah but at that stage he had only played 3-4 games of union. JON insisted on getting him so he could get extra bums on seats (including mine). In reality, SBW should NEVER have played for the BaaBaas that night; he was still too green!