Don't underestimate Sonny Bill Williams

Williams is all hype. He is a fake boxer fighting hand picked bums and old men. He couldn't make the All Blacks starting 15 at the World Cup . He was a bench player in the only NRL premiership is he played in .

what sbw did to the dogs, yep not good, but didn't jamie lyon do it to the eels have thoroughly enjoyed both, sbw & killer playing since their return, so maybe the time away from the nrl for both of them has been benificial for them & the fans

I'd argue he could easily play five-eighth or benefit from the freedom to roam in lock.

WELCOME BACK TO THE NRL, SBW. Everybody has been whinging on and on for five years and will go for another five while the RL community (the world-not just you Aussies and Kiwis!!) are just mighty glad to see a super athlete back. And yes SBW will flog that African Bother. As soon as he floors Botha, all you negetives can jump in the Pacific and drown yourselves. Go SBW!!

JayBob, no problem. The issue of my highlighting his donation of $100,000 to the earthquake victims related more so that he did not seek media coverage about it. As a percentage of what he earns, I am not so sure is material - my wife and I personally donated $250 (I imagine it was a much smaller percentage of income that of SBW's) but it was still significant for us. SBW did make visits to hospitals in NZ to 'cheer up' sick kids with other All Blacks, that was widely reported, that 'is a social responsiblity' of sporting heros in NZ as it is in Australia and is a tradition that should be encouraged.

I too am looking forward to seeing SBW back in the NRL. Superb athletes are worth the price of admission.He will adapt IMO very quickly,although the shoulder charge could well be person non grata. However I find it very difficult to not forget the way he walked out on the game.Yes contracts are broken by both players and management alike,but there is a tradition call it the ANZAC tradition if you will,in doing the right thing by your mates.What he does with management,I really could not care,but team mates are a different kettle of fish. Forgive yes,forget maybe, time has the habit of erasing many things. Anyway welcome back SBW ,the game is generally a very forgiving one.

I'm with you Ra.. He's been sorely missed in Black..

@Jaybob, Going over and over it 5 years afterwards is rehashing old news. You'd think he'd murdered someone's Granny the way some carry on and on about it. $100k not a lot of money to give away ??? It's probably in the vicinity of a 10% haircut, far more than most will ever give.. The fact he did the Roosters deal on a handshake disturbs you why exactly? My understanding is that he did the deal despite being offered more to continue to play Union over the same term, debunking the $BW myth. Forgiving his youthful exit from his Bulldogs contract ( to which he was clearly unhappy at the time and for which he paid a heavy price) if that's not proof of his word being solid Then I don't know what is. Also so what if he does what he wants to do, at least he won't be naive enough to sign into a contract that he feels trapped by and then compelled to exit. He's been in RL exile for 5 years, I for one am happy to have him back in the fold, particularly as it should see him back where he belongs in Black..

Lol I'm not re-hashing anything. I was trying to point out that it wasn't JUST the fact that he broke a contract, it was THE WAY he did it. Obviously some find it hard to distinguish between this.

Rugby Tragic, first of all sorry for the slow reply, I don't get a chance to come on here much but when I do I generally read everything. I honestly love hearing your views because I must admit, I'm not a big follower of Union. Generally I can read some ignorant post on a SBW article by a Union fan (on Fox or DT website) and I think to myself 'why do they bother?" so it's good to finally hear from someone who is open minded. I think his donation was a great thing, but in terms of his earnings (not just Union, but Boxing & Sponsorship as well) it isn't really much is it? I would respect the man more if he spent his personal time visiting sick children for example. I love to hear that about him, but it doesn't change my views on him. I'm very happy to hear that you are going to take an interest in League, if he can do that with a lot of Union fans it can only be a good thing. To be honest, I watch Union whenever it is on, because I love my sport. It's only when I compare it to league that I see its deficiencies. The handshake deal does annoy me a bit, especially when I read that someone as open minded as you believes it. I know it's been said before but if this guys is willing to walk out on a contract why is a handshake so sacred? It's obviously what he wants to do. IF he truly wanted to stay in Rugby he would(or will), he does what he wants, you can even ask Mundine ;P but seriously he will do 'what he wants, when he wants'. He will play League for a year, and make the NZ World Cup side for 2013. Then he will go back to Union in time for their World Cup. The handshake is irrelevant.

I don't care about the bulldogs, but I'm looking forward to seeing SBW back in Black !

Botha by all reports should wipe the floor with him. This will turn around a lot of people, myself included, if $BW gets up

SBW was voted the Chiefs player's player last season - given that Chiefs won the SR championship, I think that demonstrates how far he had improved from the year before. It seems to be fairly unanimous amongst those who work with him that as well as being a superb athlete he is also extremely hard working and unassuming. Both the Chiefs and the ABs would have him back in a flash.

Umm...he played the full Super Rugby season with the Chiefs and was instrumental in their success. Then he was chosen for the ABs and he steamrolled the Wallabies and was pretty much the main attacking force of the ABs in Bledisloe 2. As for Nonu being injured, I'm pretty sure he was 13 and SBW was 12 in both the games against Australia.

Damien, I think foremans win was at a time when the heavy weight ranks of boxing was at an all time low. However i think Couture is an amazing UFC fighter but becuase of the nature of UFC contests older fighters are able to grind there younger opponents down through grappling and experiance. I m just basing my thoughts on the history of SBW and Mundines previous opponents. Its all about the money i believe and like i said earlier i dont believe they would look for a fight that they wernt certain he will win becuase the gravy train would then be over. I know nothing of this Botha and had never heard of him so i may well be wrong. Although id have a fifty with anyone who wanted to back Botha.

Glacier, see you have never played RL. Unless he has developed SBW would struggle as a RL centre. The Dogs tried him there before and he was not a success. Who knows all those knee operation might have speeded him up.

David - simple question - When is the sporting world going to recognise Sonny Bill Williams as a very special footballer? Simple answer: When he leads a team to very special achievements, not just personal glory. I note Nick's comments above re winning the NRL Grand Final and Rugby World Cup but not even Anthony Mundine could argue he was more than a bit part player in those achievements. To be recognized as a very special footballer you need to lead a team to victory. Amongst countless players (most, if not all, with less natural talent than SBW), Richie McCaw is a great example of a very special footballer for what he has done for the teams he has led. To make the point, SBW may be a great natural talent and a sensational marketing tool - but if we are talking very special footballers, surely most neutral observers would have to rate a Paul Gallen above Sonny Bill Williams as a very special footballer given his ability to lead a team from the front (a quick review of last year's origin series should bring you round to my point of view if you are currenly shaking your head in bewilderment). They say that the boxing ring is the loneliest place in the world - but it is also place where personal glory can be found. Given his almost super-human abilities, perhaps the ring is a more appropriate venue for SBW to strut is stuff?

Yeah Col. RL centres either play on the right edge or the left edge of the field. Not very hard to master I think.

Tired of rehashing ancient history. SBW wasn't the first to break his contract, move on already. He paid an enormous fee back to the bulldogs in reparation at the time. where others would not have bothered. SBW did the Roosters deal on a handshake, says it all to me. Also if you know anything about boxing training, he'll come to the game with killer cardio from the get go.. The man has skills, I for one am very happy to have him back in the game..

JayBob, I think your comments are quite valid and as one from the 'older school' believes that one does not rat out on mates. For this reason, without a full knowledge of the facts, I thought that SBW and others who 'do not honour their contracts' should be hung out to dry. As to my writing name would suggest, I am a follower of the 15 man code (and a Kiwi to boot!). I was filthy when SBW took the places of those who I thought was more deserving, particularly when 'wearing black', seemingly gifted into the squad. Even now, while believing the guy is a very good player, he still had a lot to learn. He will not leave a legacy on what he has done in rugby thus far in my view. Having stated that, something that will live with me, probably forever, was the extreme generosity of SBW in his personal donation of NZ$100,000 to the Christchurch earthquake appeal. 100 big ones is a helluva lot of money, he did not need to do that, in particular having spent only one season in Christchurch, the capital of Canterbury Province (how's that for coincidence given his past). He did not owe them anything other than a bit of gratitude for accepting him into their fold, but that donation was given, I believe because he cared, and the big thing about that gesture is that it was never widely publicised as far as I am aware. While I understand your views on his character, that gesture changed my views on the man. Whether he returns to the 15 man game ot not, I wouldn't be sure (he probably isn't either!), but I finish this post pretty much the way I worked into it, in stating that I am a converted fan, not necessarily for his prowlness on the rugby ground but for the humility he displayed with such a generous gesture in support of many who are much less fortunate. I realise this is a contradiction to why and how he left the Bulldogs, but I will leave that for others to judge, my views are stated.