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Sonny Bill Williams will reveal his future plans with New Zealand Rugby on Wednesday, with a new three-year Blues deal the hot favourite among his options.
The 30-year-old duel-international is believed to be favouring a move to Auckland, joining former All Black and Blues head coach Tana Umaga until 2019. The contract will also see him playing rugby union right up until the 2019 RWC in Japan.
CONFIRMED: SONNY BILL TO PLAY AT THE BLUES IN 2017
Sonny Bill has spent 2016 with the New Zealand 7s team, with hopes of competing at the Rio Olympics. But like most 7s stars, will look to move out of the fitness-intensive short format game to the more-complete XV-a-side game after the Games.
Williams’ mother is an Auckland resident and it is believed he wants to be closer to her. The challenge of helping the Blues out of their Super Rugby rut is another possible lure for the two-time Rugby World Cup champion.
The Chiefs are among the list of teams vying for his signature, but they already have All Blacks Charlie Ngatai and Seta Tamanivalu in the midfield. Head coach Dave Rennie has met with Williams several times over the past month, and chief executive Andrew Flexman has shown just how desperate they are:
“We’ve put absolutely our best foot forward and done everything we can to hopefully make the Chiefs compelling for Sonny. And now it’s largely beyond our control, to a degree,” Flexman said.
“I have no doubt, knowing the man, that he’ll feel a degree of loyalty… But loyalty only goes so far. It’s obviously what he feels is the best situation for him and his family. That whole situation’s changed a little bit too, with him being a father to a young child now, and the responsibilities that go with that, so I have no doubt that having family presence in Auckland is a consideration for him as well.
Toulon have reportedly been in the race to sign SBW along with a handful of NRL clubs.
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