Runaway NRL star Sonny Bill Williams will line up in the centres for Toulon early tomorrow morning in defiance of a court injunction which could see him end up in jail.
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Williams was named to partner fellow Samoan Tusi Pisi in the centres in Toulon’s second pre-season match against French champions Toulouse early tomorrow morning Australian time.
He will play with the prospect of jail time hanging over his head after the NSW Supreme Court was today told Williams had been served the notice documents – which bar him from playing in any other football code or for any team other than the Bulldogs.
But a Toulon club source today rejected claims that papers had been served on Williams after Toulon’s pre-season friendly match last week.
“That’s absolute rubbish,” the source said.
“They haven’t handed any papers to him, definitely not.
“I don’t know where they stand legally, but they (the NRL) seem to be making a lot of noise because they can’t do much more than that.”
Bulldogs’ barrister Arthur Moses today told the court that if Williams did breach the order, he would seek to initiate contempt of court proceedings.
If proven, the court could move to seize Williams’ Australian-based assets which include a southern Sydney home worth more than $1 million.
The court could also impose a jail sentence which would see Williams arrested upon his return to Australia.
“The orders were served on the first defendant (Williams), certainly that betters our position and what we are doing at the moment is observing whether he will breach that order by playing in a game scheduled for Friday morning (Australian time),” Moses said.
Neither Williams nor his manager Khoder Nasser attended, or were represented, during today’s hearing in the NSW Supreme Court.
Court staff called out Williams’ name twice in the hallway outside the courtroom without response.
“The first defendant and the second defendant (Nasser) were notified of the listing today,” Moses said.
“It would appear at this stage there is no appearance.”
His failure to be represented in court is not enough to support a contempt of court finding, Justice Reginald Barrett today continuing the temporary injunction and scheduling the case to return to court on September 4.
Bulldogs chief executive Todd Greenberg today hinted that a financial settlement may be the only resolution to the matter.
“Potentially down the track that’s where it might head,” Greenberg told reporters.
“I think we’ve got some time to go before we get to that though, I think we’ve got to stick solid with the sanctity of the contract.”
Toulon’s team manager Tom Whitford said Williams had attended a three-day training camp with his teammates at the foot of the French Alps this week.
“He’s doing well,” Whitford told AAP.
“Our first big test is tonight against Toulouse who were the champions last season. It’s a big game.”
He admitted a big focus this week had been changing Williams’ reliance on the shoulder charge, which cost the Kiwi star ten minutes in the sin bin in his rugby debut last week.
“We have been working on him,” Whitford said.
“The thing is, in the heat of the moment instinct takes over and that’s what he is used to doing.
“Bit by bit we have to forge his way out of that and change his habits.”
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