Sonny Bill Williams off to rugby league

Apparently it's been leaked to the Australian media. He's signed a contract with the NSW league club, the South Sydney Rabbitos. He's also supposed allowed to play rugby in Japan and have time out for boxing. Oh well it's back to Nonu at center.

Shame if it happens, talk about reaching for the stars huh. Rabbitohs, seriously?

Wonder if he'll try and do a brad thorn and flick between the two codes over and over.

Yeah, stink that we'll have to put up with nonu's bullocking runs, big tackles and sublime passing

Well Paddy Wallace won't miss him too much anyways..... .....

rodders wrote:Well Paddy Wallace won't miss him too much anyways..... .....

He missed him a lot saturday!!!!!

rodders wrote:Well Paddy Wallace won't miss him too much anyways..... .....

I thought he missed him rather a lot on Saturday. .....

blackcanelion wrote:Apparently it's been leaked to the Australian media. He's signed a contract with the NSW league club, the South Sydney Rabbittos. He's also supposed allowed to play rugby in Japan and have time out for boxing. Oh well it's back to Nonu at center.

I read it was the Roosters? That would be the only move to please me

Tew and co are remaining remarkably cool over this, looking at his comments on Stuff....maybe they’re viewing this as a sabbatical in a way, letting SBW take the big money in Japan before he looks to come back to seal the 12 spot in a year’s time. Let’s face it, this scenario wouldn’t surprise many people

I heard it was the roosters. Im over the what will sbw do next thing. If he plays he plays. If he doesnt he doesnt.
Theres no law that says he should have full allegiance to the ABs.
He rolls to his own tune so good on him. I can take or leave him. So can the abs.

I'd be dissapointed if he did go to rugby league. He is a very special player and a great one to watch, especially in an All Blacks jersey!

He always seem to get an "offer" to go to league just before combinator is selection! How coincidence

anotherworldofpain wrote:Probably this is some lying rumour made up to creating the ripplies in all blacks squad and force the combinator changes for Rugby Championship.

I have to steal this phrase sometime.

Big fat red herring, reckon he'll stay. NZRFU know the score as does Rennie et al, he probably just wants some time to fly over to oz and clip Matthew Johns around the ears. He wants the big profile, playing a domestic league comp won't give him international exposure. The NH/SA know him because of rugby, he'll just be another oz league player if he defects.

Nah, he's off to NFL next. As a linebacker

I think it's a combination of league, Japanese rugby and boxing and $$$ involved. The NRL season is shorter so he can fit a bit more in.

BCL, you reckon he'll play NRL and Japanese rugby? Like a once off, or ongoing? NRL is brutal, his body will fail him.

Conflicting reports...

http://tvnz.co.nz/all-blacks/sonny-bill-tipped-stay-in-new-zealand-4944522

EBOP wrote:BCL, you reckon he'll play NRL and Japanese rugby? Like a once off, or ongoing? NRL is brutal, his body will fail him.

He coped ok with the physicality of NRL first time round. However I thought the money was not all that great.

The combinator of testing himself in the best contact sport competition in the world again maybe too big a carrot LT. Having said that the money won’t be all that bad, if estimates are correct he’ll get about AU$700k out of the Roosters (£375k?) for the year, plus AU$1.1m in Japan plus this big bout in Sth Africa should net him a small fortune too. All in all, not bad work.

But, as someone said earlier, will he be able to get through all of this without his body failing? Theoretically, he’ll have played from Feb-March this year all the way through to potentially November next year if he decides that he’ll play for NZ at the World Cup..

For sure he can handle NRL, but then also play Japanese rugby as well, plus box. That's a hefty workload. Yeah, I thought the same re $$$, he'd be on the marquee contract, but the NRL is such a narrow market that you'd think it would be a step backwards.

How will the NRL salary cap adjudicators look at this. Any income from "other sources" is technically included under the cap. (from memory a couple of NRL stars have been blocked from taking "sabaticals" in the past)

The NRL salary cap is increasing isn't it kiwi? Not sure when.

ps. Checked, increasing next year to $5 mil, extra $700k

Surely his Japan contract and NRL contract would not overlap anyway? That's half the battle, then all he needs to do is schedule his fight after his contract expires...which would probably be at the end of the season.

this would then mean he won't be playing for NZ at the world cup!

Hope he doesn't go to rugby lite, that would be a waste. He's really starting to show his potential now. Japan or Toulon again after the 2015 world cup would be the best choice i think

From a few of the kiwis coming back to NZ from Japan. It seems like a great place to go and give your body a rest while early some serious Yen.
It would be a pity for him to go as he has started to really come on in the game but would we really miss him if he did? Nonu, Kahui, Ellison, Carter would all be okay at 12

One of the guys on radiosport this morning reckons SBW is set to announce something on the NRL footy show this Thursday. Just speculating, but you never know. Man SBW is annoying!!

With SBW I just go with the flow. He thrives off everyone getting obsessed with what hes gonna do next.

His hearts not in anything as he goes anywhere where the money is. I mean who would want to play Sydney club league then France club the then back here fto try for AB's, make it then off to Japan, back to League.

Just stupid that his legacy will be his name Money Bill- good at some things best at none.

Just dont bother wasting energy on it.

Next subject...

Taylorman wrote:With SBW I just go with the flow. He thrives off everyone getting obsessed with what hes gonna do next.

His hearts not in anything as he goes anywhere where the money is. I mean who would want to play Sydney club league then France club the then back here fto try for AB's, make it then off to Japan, back to League.

Just stupid that his legacy will be his name Money Bill- good at some things best at none.

Just dont bother wasting energy on it.

Next subject...

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. He has had an experience in professional sport that showed him early on he was a tradeable commodity. He knows he has a sell by date and knows from his time with the bulldogs that he's a tool for the people running the game. I have no doubt that the NZRU has laid their cards on the table and said take it or leave it. If he leaves, it's because he's setting himself up for the future, he feels he has achieved his goals and others to chase. I would have like him to play longer to see him against Australia and South Africa. Truth is I prefer Nonu, maybe it's a false rumor anyway.

The reality in NZ is hat they have so much depth in the backline that it really doesn't matter, does it?

I'm surprised the NRL would even consider letting him back in the comp. What's the message here... break your contract mid season, leave all your mates high and dry, let down your fans, go off and do what you like and we'll welcome you back with open arms?

League doesn't have any morals.

Well he's got less than ten years left at the top of union or league so I guess he has to choose each year very carefully in order to achieve his goal which I believe is to be the best sportsman in the world. Guy reminds me of Deion Sanders a wee bit though baseball and American football are vastly different so kudos to that bloke.

Nasser isn't recognised as an official NRL agent which will be hard to get around I read.

Well maybe SBW is just misunderstood.

Perhaps he wants the treble at world champion.

RU
RL
Boxing.

Who knows?

Tbh why not? But who honestly cares about a world championship in RL apart from Queensland, New South Wales and Northern England

gowales wrote:Tbh why not? But who honestly cares about a world championship in RL apart from Queensland, New South Wales and Northern England

NZ. But only because we've currently got the RLWC trophy

If it's all about the glory would he not fancy the S15 and 4 Nations trophies?

Would it not be fair of me to assume that if Tew and Rennie know what SBW plans are then so also would Hansen, and if thats the case, and he was going back to the NRL, then why on gods earth did Hansen just put him in an AB test jersey?

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Would it not be fair of me to assume that if Tew and Rennie know what SBW plans are then so also would Hansen, and if thats the case, and he was going back to the NRL, then why on gods earth did Hansen just put him in an AB test jersey?

I suspect because Nonu needed a break. And SBW has been clearly the best NZ 12 in SXV so far this season.

I saw something the other day from Hansen saying he'll pick SBW if form dictates for the 4N too, regardless of whether he's off afterwards.

To be fair to Hansen there it's not like SBW is in the way of a player developing. Nonu would be straight in there if SBW left and he's kind of developed enough I would imagine.

Biltong that's exactly what SBW wants. The Kiwis are a legitimate threat to Australia in the league as they've got the World Cup and nicked the 4N trophy before that. So if SBW thinks the Kiwis have what it takes to win another WC, then he'd be a double world champion.

I know Union is well behind basketball and football as far as team sports go, but a league WC may as well be a 3N. LOL with league and AFL seems like the Aussies are just a bit like the Yanks in that they like to play sports noone else is good at! If they've heard of them!

disneychilly wrote:LOL with league and AFL seems like the Aussies are just a bit like the Yanks in that they like to play sports noone else is good at! If they've heard of them!

Yeah we play all those nothing sports like rugby, cricket, soccer, tennis, swimming, basketball, golf, etc. I'm curious, which of these sports haven't you heard of?

You play cricket?

Never noticed that before.

Only ribbing FC.

They do Biltong. We do too. If you kept your TV on after the World Cup quarterfinals you may have seen it

Yeah we still play it Biltong... just not like we used to.

Yeah FC sort your sh1t out. It's depressing seeing England at number one (though they are playing great cricket and deserve it). Get back up there and knock em off already!

We're also very strong in Jai Alai and Real Tennis, aren't we FC?
Are you staying up to watch the Petanque World Championship Finals tonight?

Are they on tonight?!? Thanks, I would have missed it otherwise.

We're also very competitive with ring-toss and no other country can get within a bulls roar of our pig divers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4zQcfI4YKY

I think it irks kiwis that sbw isnt one of the usual...all my life ive wanted to be an all black. SBW treats being an ab as an option amongst others. Thats very rare. AB fans expect loyalty and they get in in slices from sbw.

I just wonder at the end of it all when hes sitting at home with his millions whether he'll be ok with the fact that he made a name for himself out of playing for the biggest bidder.

Definite firming of the rumours...

http://www.3news.co.nz/Sonny-Bill-Williams-Leaving-rugby-Japan-then-Roosters/tabid/415/articleID/259194/Default.aspx

Guess we're watching Fatty Vautin on Thursday night then.

With SBW it is all about money and ego,when he was in France playing for Toulon.He said he wanted to play in RWC,to do that he had to be in NZ a season with the Crusaders.THE starting point for all aspiring All Blacks, a bit part off the Bench.. Move away from earthquake ridden Christchurch a good run with Chiefs plus Nonu being lumbered with the Blues .Mean`t an AllBlacks start his future was cut and dried LAST year when he only signed on for a year.His NRL embargo runs out and he follows the money as usual.Pity Richard Kahui is a walking sick note love to see him inside Conrad Smith.IF he was staying in RU he would already have annouced it.So he`s gone pity but he`s replacable NOW if Conrad Smith went ?

In fairness to Sonny Bill he took a big paycut to go and become an All Black, He was on massive money at Toulon, to make up the shortfall of income he had to go and take up boxing.

Although he made his name/reputation in rugby league, he did play Roller Mills for West Auckland when he was a kid.