Sonny Bill Williams
Encyclopedia
Sonny William 'Sonny Bill' Williams (born 3 August 1985) is a New Zealand
rugby union
player and former rugby league
player. He is only the second person to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for the country in rugby league. In rugby union he usually plays as a centre. He is particularly known in rugby league and rugby union for his ability to offload the ball in the tackle and, in rugby league, for his shoulder charges.
He started his professional rugby league career with the Canterbury Bulldogs in the Australian NRL
. In 2008 he controversially left the Bulldogs mid-season to play rugby union with French club Toulon
. In 2010 Williams signed with the New Zealand Rugby Union in an ultimately successful bid to play for the All Blacks
at the 2011 Rugby World Cup
. He played for Canterbury
in the 2010 ITM Cup
before being selected for the All Blacks' end of year tour in 2010, making his debut against England
at Twickenham
. He played for the Crusaders in the 2011 season of Super Rugby and will play for the Chiefs in the 2012 Super Rugby season
. He was a member of the All Blacks squad that won the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Since 2009 he has boxed
four times, winning all four of his heavyweight
bouts.
, New Zealand
, the son of John and Lee. He is of Samoan
descent on his father's side. He grew up in the Auckland suburb of Mount Albert
and attended Owairaka Primary School, Wesley Intermediate, and Mount Albert Grammar School
. Though his father was an accomplished rugby league player, Williams has said it was his mother who introduced him to the game.
junior when he was spotted playing in Auckland by Bulldogs talent scout John Ackland. In 2002 he was offered a contract and moved to Sydney (as the youngest player to ever sign with the Bulldogs) to play in the Bulldogs junior grades. He advanced up the ranks quickly, becoming a starting player in the forward pack for the Bulldogs Jersey Flegg Cup
side in his first year. The following year Williams cemented a starting spot in the Premier League side. In 2004
, when only 18 years old, he made his National Rugby League
debut against the Parramatta Eels
at Telstra Stadium
. He experienced Premiership success in his rookie year and became the youngest person to play for the Bulldogs in a Grand Final when playing off the bench in the Bulldogs' 16–13 victory over the Sydney Roosters
in the 2004 Grand Final. Williams capped off a successful debut season by being named the International Newcomer of the Year Award and was named in Rugby League World
magazine's 2004 World XIII.
In 2004, he was selected by New Zealand after only a handful of NRL matches and on 23 April made his debut for the Kiwis as their youngest-ever Test player in the 2004 ANZAC Test
against Australia. Williams played 15 NRL premiership matches during the season, firmly establishing himself in the Bulldogs squad. His contract was due to expire in 2005 and Williams reportedly received several lucrative offers to attempt to lure him away from the Bulldogs, with the largest rumoured to be about $3 million from Super League
club St Helens in the UK. Williams decided to stay with the Bulldogs and signed on for a further two years. St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus later said the club had not made an offer to him.
Williams had a shortened 2005 season
after sustaining a severe knee injury plus several other minor injuries. Williams only played five games through the year and he subsequently missed several internationals for New Zealand. Williams publicly expressed his frustration, stating "You've got to be pretty strong mentally when you have injuries, and I've had a few." Williams would later dismiss claims he was injury prone as "bullshit".
Williams stayed relatively injury-free throughout the 2006 season
, playing in 21 matches. He scored 8 tries and just missed out on a Grand Final berth, losing to eventual winners the Brisbane Broncos
in the Preliminary Final. Despite having been mostly injury free throughout the year, off-season surgery forced him to miss the Tri-Nations
for the Kiwis for the second year running. At the start of the 2007 NRL season, Williams' contract status was a frequent news item in the Australian print media. The speculation ended when Williams re-signed with the Bulldogs on 9 March 2007, with a 5 year contract believed to be worth over $2.5 million, that would have seen him stay with the club through to the 2012 season.
In the first game of the 2007 season, Williams was sent off and subsequently suspended for two weeks for a high tackle on Andrew Johns
. In doing so, he became the first player of the 21st century to be sent off in a first-round game. He went on to play in 21 matches and score 14 tries during the season, although it did not end well as Williams broke his forearm in a tackle on Nathan Hindmarsh
during the Semi Final against the Parramatta Eels
. His team lost the match and Williams was again ruled out from representing his country in the post-season 2007 Great Britain Tour
. He was nominated for 'Second-Rower of the Year' at the 2007 Dally M Awards but lost the award to Manly Warringah Sea Eagles second-rower Anthony Watmough
.
, citing salary cap
concerns in a controversial exit. In 2005 it had been suggested that the NRL's salary cap restrictions could prove problematic for trying to keep top-grade players in rugby league. Canterbury Bulldogs club officials and players were not notified of his departure until after Williams had already left for Europe. Williams was 18 months into a five year contract with the Bulldogs, which was resolved when Toulon paid a transfer fee of around £300,000. According to Bulldogs CEO Todd Greenberg, Williams was "our best player" before he "walked out".
Williams' highest honour with Toulon was finishing runners-up in the 2009-10 European Challenge Cup. On 6 June 2009 he played for the Barbarians
in a tour match against Australia
. His contract with Toulon ended in June 2010, and in 2010 Toulon
reportedly tabled a three-year offer to Williams worth $6 million, while the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) could only come up with $550,000 per year. Williams rejected what was reportedly the largest ever offer in rugby union and opted to sign with the NZRU in a bid to play for the All Blacks. He chose to play with Canterbury
in the ITM Cup, and the Crusaders in the Super Rugby competition.
Williams' Canterbury debut was against Bay of Plenty
on 3 September 2010. He was named in the reserves, and 18 minutes into the game replaced second five-eight Ryan Crotty. Williams scored his first try in the ITM Cup against Taranaki, and followed up with tries against Wellington
, Otago
, and Counties Manukau
. On 5 November, Canterbury were crowned ITM Cup Champions after defeating Waikato
33-13. On 17 October 2010 he was named in the All Black squad to tour Hong Kong and the Northern Hemisphere.
He made his highly anticipated New Zealand debut at Twickenham
against England on 6 November. He started at outside centre and combined with Ma'a Nonu
to form the heaviest ever All Black midfield partnership at 212 kg . In doing so, he became the first person since Karl Ifwersen
in the 1920's to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for New Zealand in rugby league. On 13 November 2010, in his second game for the All Blacks, Williams was awarded the man of the match for his performance against Scotland
.
, scoring a try and setting up another. A week later he scored his second try in as many matches, against the ACT Brumbies. On 27 March he returned to Twickenham to play in his fourth match for the Crusaders against the Sharks, in the first Super Rugby match played outside of New Zealand, Australia or South Africa. On 9 April, in his fifth game for the Crusaders, Williams scored his 3rd try. On 23 April Williams, playing off the reserves bench against the Highlanders, experienced his first rugby defeat since his All Black debut more than five months earlier. A week later he scored his fourth try while playing against the Western Force
. On 7 May Williams played his first rugby match in South Africa in the Crusaders victory over the Stormers
at Newlands Stadium
. On 29 May he played against the Queensland Reds
in a match which set a new attendance record for an Australian Super Rugby game with 48,301 fans at Suncorp Stadium
. On 25 June he scored his fifth try whilst playing against the Sharks in the first finals week of the Super Rugby competition. A week later against the Stormers in Cape Town
he was part of the Crusaders team that became the first side to win a Super Rugby semifinal outside their home country since 1999. On 9 July Williams was part of the Crusaders team that lost to the Queensland Reds in the Grand Final held at Suncorp Stadium before a crowd of 52,113 – an Australian provincial attendance record. He ended the Super Rugby season with the most off-loads, was second to Quade Cooper
for linebreak assists, was in the top ten for try assists, and was 13th overall for run metres; while no other centre came close to Williams's off-load and linebreak assist figures.
On 30 July Williams played his first home test match
during the second game of the 2011 Tri Nations Series
. On 9 September he played in his first Rugby World Cup in the opening match of the 2011 Rugby World Cup
. A week later he scored his first test rugby tries during New Zealand’s second game, in which he played on the right wing. The match was also the first time he has played outside the centres since playing for Toulon, where he had a handful of games on the wing and in the back row. He scored his third try of the tournament against France in his second consecutive game playing on the wing. On 2 October Williams scored in a third consecutive match, whilst playing against Canada. New Zealand went on to win the 2011 Rugby World Cup, with Williams amassing a record of any Rugby World Cup of three tries as a substitute player.
On 31 October it was announced that Williams will join the Chiefs for the 2012 Super Rugby season
- with his new contract allowing a “limited number” of professional boxing bouts.
Williams fought in his third professional match against Australian Scott Lewis (on 29 January 2011 at the Gold Coast Convention Centre) in his first fight as the main event. Lewis' trainer Terry Devlin named his youngest son after Sonny Bill Williams, whom he calls a "superb athlete". Williams was initially scheduled to fight Lewis on 29 January at Newcastle Entertainment Centre
. However, the bout was moved to the Gold Coast to cross-promote Williams's Super rugby team, the Crusaders, and their pre-season game against the Queensland Reds
. Due to the 2010-2011 Queensland floods occurring at the same time as Williams's preparation for his bout against Scott Lewis, as well as his chief sparring partner Alex Leapai being stranded by the flooding in Gatton
, Williams donated 200 tickets to his 29 January fight to flood victims. Williams won the six-round bout against Lewis by unanimous points decision
. He was scored favourably 60-55, 60-55 and 60-54 by the three judges. A fan paid $3,890 for his autographed gloves from the bout, with the money going towards the Queensland flood relief fund.
Williams fought again on 5 June, when the Crusaders had a bye
week. The fight, the second of three allowed under his agreement with the NZRU, took place at Trusts Stadium
, Waitakere City against Tongan Alipate Liava'a. Williams won the bout by unanimous points decision, the fight scored 60-54 in his favour by all three judges. It was promoted as a Christchurch earthquake charity fight dubbed "The Clash For Canterbury". The fight became one of the single largest fundraisers for the 2011 Christchurch earthquake appeal when Sky donated its profits from the pay-per-view
sales of the fight and Williams made a $NZ100,000 donation from his share of TV sales- described as “one of the biggest individual donations by an athlete to a disaster appeal”.
in 2008, and is the first Muslim to play for the All Blacks
.
His younger sister Niall Williams is a New Zealand international touch football
player, and won gold at the Youth World Cup in 2005 and silver at the 2011 Touch Football World Cup.
Williams was in Christchurch when both the 2010
and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes struck.
On 17 August 2005 he was charged with drink driving
; the Bulldogs fined him $5,000 over the incident and he appeared in Waverley
Local Court on 7 September. He was convicted of drink driving, with a blood alcohol level of .075.
In 2007, Williams was caught in a compromising position with Australian model and ironwoman Candice Falzon
. A photo taken on a mobile phone of the incident was published on the Daily Telegraph
website. He later apologised to his then girlfriend Genna Shaw over the incident and said he was "ashamed and embarrassed".
On 17 June 2007, Williams was caught by police urinating on a wall in an alleyway near a nightclub in Cronulla in Sydney
and was given an infringement notice and fine worth $650. He subsequently admitted he had an alcohol problem and said he would be seeking professional help.
On 25 August 2010, Williams was reprimanded by his Canterbury provincial rugby team for skiing
while on injury leave. A Canterbury Rugby Union spokesman confirmed he had not been given clearance to go on a skiing trip on the day of Canterbury’s NPC match against Tasman
, and said he had been “reminded of his responsibilities.”
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|4 Wins (2 knockouts), 0 Losses, 0 Draws
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;"
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res.
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponnent
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes
|- align=center
|Win
|align=center|4-0||align=left|
Alipate Liava'a
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|align=center|3-0||align=left|
Scott Lewis
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|align=center|2-0||align=left| Ryan Hogan
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|align=center|1-0||align=left| Garry Gurr
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player and former rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player. He is only the second person to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for the country in rugby league. In rugby union he usually plays as a centre. He is particularly known in rugby league and rugby union for his ability to offload the ball in the tackle and, in rugby league, for his shoulder charges.
He started his professional rugby league career with the Canterbury Bulldogs in the Australian NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
. In 2008 he controversially left the Bulldogs mid-season to play rugby union with French club Toulon
RC Toulonnais
RC Toulonnais is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
. In 2010 Williams signed with the New Zealand Rugby Union in an ultimately successful bid to play for the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
at the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
. He played for Canterbury
Canterbury Rugby Football Union
The Canterbury Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in a substantial part of the Canterbury region, in the middle of the South Island of New Zealand...
in the 2010 ITM Cup
2010 ITM Cup
The 2010 ITM Cup was the 34th provincial rugby union competition, the fifth since the competition reconstruction in 2006 and the first under the new sponsor of ITM , involving the top 14 provincial unions of New Zealand...
before being selected for the All Blacks' end of year tour in 2010, making his debut against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
at Twickenham
Twickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
. He played for the Crusaders in the 2011 season of Super Rugby and will play for the Chiefs in the 2012 Super Rugby season
2012 Super Rugby season
The 2012 Super Rugby season is the second season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition, which involves teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Including its past incarnations as Super 12 and Super 14, this is the 17th season for the Southern Hemisphere's premier...
. He was a member of the All Blacks squad that won the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Since 2009 he has boxed
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
four times, winning all four of his heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
bouts.
Early life
Williams was born on 3 August 1985, in AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, the son of John and Lee. He is of Samoan
Samoans
The Samoan people are a Polynesian ethnic group of the Samoan Islands, sharing genetics, language, history and culture. Due to colonialism, the home islands are politically and geographically divided between the country of Samoa, official name Independent State of Samoa ; and American Samoa, an...
descent on his father's side. He grew up in the Auckland suburb of Mount Albert
Mount Albert, New Zealand
Mount Albert is a volcanic peak and suburban area in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. The suburb was Auckland's second, after Remuera, and was mostly settled by well-off families in the late 1800s and early 1900s...
and attended Owairaka Primary School, Wesley Intermediate, and Mount Albert Grammar School
Mount Albert Grammar School
Mount Albert Grammar School, or MAGS, is a co-educational secondary school in Central Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches from year 9 to year 13. Mount Albert Grammar is one of the largest secondary schools in the country...
. Though his father was an accomplished rugby league player, Williams has said it was his mother who introduced him to the game.
Rugby league
Williams was a Marist SaintsMarist Saints
The Marist Saints is a rugby league club based in Mount Albert, New Zealand. They regularly feature in the Fox Memorial, the premier division in Auckland Rugby League...
junior when he was spotted playing in Auckland by Bulldogs talent scout John Ackland. In 2002 he was offered a contract and moved to Sydney (as the youngest player to ever sign with the Bulldogs) to play in the Bulldogs junior grades. He advanced up the ranks quickly, becoming a starting player in the forward pack for the Bulldogs Jersey Flegg Cup
Jersey Flegg Cup
The Jersey Flegg Cup was a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales, contested among teams made up of players aged under 20. The competition was administered by the New South Wales Rugby League and run concurrently with the National Rugby League...
side in his first year. The following year Williams cemented a starting spot in the Premier League side. In 2004
National Rugby League season 2004
The year 2004 NRL season was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen clubs competed for the Telstra Premiership...
, when only 18 years old, he made his National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
debut against the Parramatta Eels
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
at Telstra Stadium
Telstra Stadium
Stadium Australia, currently also known as ANZ Stadium due to naming rights, formerly known as Telstra Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush Bay...
. He experienced Premiership success in his rookie year and became the youngest person to play for the Bulldogs in a Grand Final when playing off the bench in the Bulldogs' 16–13 victory over the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
in the 2004 Grand Final. Williams capped off a successful debut season by being named the International Newcomer of the Year Award and was named in Rugby League World
Rugby League World
Rugby League World is a dedicated rugby league magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. Other rugby league titles published by League Publications Ltd include the weekly newspaper Rugby Leaguer & League Express and the annual Gillette Rugby League Yearbook.-History:Rugby League World began...
magazine's 2004 World XIII.
In 2004, he was selected by New Zealand after only a handful of NRL matches and on 23 April made his debut for the Kiwis as their youngest-ever Test player in the 2004 ANZAC Test
ANZAC Test
The Anzac Test is an annual rugby league football test match . The test match is played annually between Australia and New Zealand on or around Anzac Day for the Bill Kelly Memorial Trophy.-Origins:Australia and New Zealand had competed in Rugby League Tests since 1908...
against Australia. Williams played 15 NRL premiership matches during the season, firmly establishing himself in the Bulldogs squad. His contract was due to expire in 2005 and Williams reportedly received several lucrative offers to attempt to lure him away from the Bulldogs, with the largest rumoured to be about $3 million from Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
club St Helens in the UK. Williams decided to stay with the Bulldogs and signed on for a further two years. St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus later said the club had not made an offer to him.
National Rugby League season 2005
The 2005 NRL season was the 98th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the eighth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs contesting the 2005 Telstra Premiership, which culminated in a grand final...
after sustaining a severe knee injury plus several other minor injuries. Williams only played five games through the year and he subsequently missed several internationals for New Zealand. Williams publicly expressed his frustration, stating "You've got to be pretty strong mentally when you have injuries, and I've had a few." Williams would later dismiss claims he was injury prone as "bullshit".
Williams stayed relatively injury-free throughout the 2006 season
National Rugby League season 2006
The 2006 NRL season was the 99th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the ninth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs competing for the 2006 Telstra Premiership...
, playing in 21 matches. He scored 8 tries and just missed out on a Grand Final berth, losing to eventual winners the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
in the Preliminary Final. Despite having been mostly injury free throughout the year, off-season surgery forced him to miss the Tri-Nations
2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations
The 2006 Rugby League Tri-Nations was hosted for the second time by Australia and New Zealand. Sponsored by Gillette the tournament followed the same format as in 2004 and 2005, with each team meeting the other two teams twice, and the top two teams at the end of the group stages proceeding to the...
for the Kiwis for the second year running. At the start of the 2007 NRL season, Williams' contract status was a frequent news item in the Australian print media. The speculation ended when Williams re-signed with the Bulldogs on 9 March 2007, with a 5 year contract believed to be worth over $2.5 million, that would have seen him stay with the club through to the 2012 season.
In the first game of the 2007 season, Williams was sent off and subsequently suspended for two weeks for a high tackle on Andrew Johns
Andrew Johns
Andrew Gary "Joey" Johns is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. He was heralded as the world's best halfback for a number of years...
. In doing so, he became the first player of the 21st century to be sent off in a first-round game. He went on to play in 21 matches and score 14 tries during the season, although it did not end well as Williams broke his forearm in a tackle on Nathan Hindmarsh
Nathan Hindmarsh
Nathan William Hindmarsh is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League and the Australian Prime Minister's XIII...
during the Semi Final against the Parramatta Eels
Parramatta Eels
The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
. His team lost the match and Williams was again ruled out from representing his country in the post-season 2007 Great Britain Tour
2007 All Golds Tour
The 2007 All Golds Tour was conducted as part of the celebrations of a century of rugby league in New Zealand. It was a re-creation of the original New Zealand rugby league tour of Great Britain in 1907. The New Zealand Kiwis toured Great Britain and France playing four test matches. They lost the...
. He was nominated for 'Second-Rower of the Year' at the 2007 Dally M Awards but lost the award to Manly Warringah Sea Eagles second-rower Anthony Watmough
Anthony Watmough
Anthony Watmough is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles club of the National Rugby League...
.
Rugby union
In July 2008 Williams left Australia to join French rugby union club ToulonRC Toulonnais
RC Toulonnais is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, citing salary cap
Salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap is a cartel agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. The limit exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both...
concerns in a controversial exit. In 2005 it had been suggested that the NRL's salary cap restrictions could prove problematic for trying to keep top-grade players in rugby league. Canterbury Bulldogs club officials and players were not notified of his departure until after Williams had already left for Europe. Williams was 18 months into a five year contract with the Bulldogs, which was resolved when Toulon paid a transfer fee of around £300,000. According to Bulldogs CEO Todd Greenberg, Williams was "our best player" before he "walked out".
Williams' highest honour with Toulon was finishing runners-up in the 2009-10 European Challenge Cup. On 6 June 2009 he played for the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
in a tour match against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
. His contract with Toulon ended in June 2010, and in 2010 Toulon
RC Toulonnais
RC Toulonnais is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
reportedly tabled a three-year offer to Williams worth $6 million, while the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) could only come up with $550,000 per year. Williams rejected what was reportedly the largest ever offer in rugby union and opted to sign with the NZRU in a bid to play for the All Blacks. He chose to play with Canterbury
Canterbury Rugby Football Union
The Canterbury Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in a substantial part of the Canterbury region, in the middle of the South Island of New Zealand...
in the ITM Cup, and the Crusaders in the Super Rugby competition.
Williams' Canterbury debut was against Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty Rugby Union
The Bay of Plenty Rugby Union is the official governing body for rugby union in the Bay of Plenty, in the North-East of the North Island...
on 3 September 2010. He was named in the reserves, and 18 minutes into the game replaced second five-eight Ryan Crotty. Williams scored his first try in the ITM Cup against Taranaki, and followed up with tries against Wellington
Wellington Rugby Football Union
The Wellington Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the city of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand...
, Otago
Otago Rugby Football Union
The Otago Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union for the Otago Region of New Zealand. The union is based in the city of Dunedin, and its home ground is Forsyth Barr Stadium. The top representative team competes in the ITM Cup, New Zealand's top provincial...
, and Counties Manukau
Counties Manukau Rugby Union
The Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union is the governing body of rugby union in the Franklin district of New Zealand. The Steelers colours are red, white, and black horizontal bands. The 'Steelers' moniker is a reference to the nearby Glenbrook steel factory...
. On 5 November, Canterbury were crowned ITM Cup Champions after defeating Waikato
Waikato Rugby Union
The Waikato Rugby Union is the official governing body of rugby union in the Waikato area in the North Island of New Zealand. Its senior representative team competes in the ITM Cup , and won the inaugural Air New Zealand Cup in 2006.Waikato Rugby Union was founded in 1921...
33-13. On 17 October 2010 he was named in the All Black squad to tour Hong Kong and the Northern Hemisphere.
He made his highly anticipated New Zealand debut at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
against England on 6 November. He started at outside centre and combined with Ma'a Nonu
Ma'a Nonu
Ma'a Allan Nonu is a professional Samoan rugby union player from New Zealand. Nonu plays for the Wellington Lions in the ITM Cup and the New Zealand All Blacks...
to form the heaviest ever All Black midfield partnership at 212 kg . In doing so, he became the first person since Karl Ifwersen
Karl Ifwersen
Karl Donald Ifwersen was a New Zealand rugby football player who represented his country in both rugby league and rugby union.-Early years:...
in the 1920's to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for New Zealand in rugby league. On 13 November 2010, in his second game for the All Blacks, Williams was awarded the man of the match for his performance against Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
.
2011
On 4 March 2011 Williams made his Super Rugby debut for the Crusaders against the WaratahsNew South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...
, scoring a try and setting up another. A week later he scored his second try in as many matches, against the ACT Brumbies. On 27 March he returned to Twickenham to play in his fourth match for the Crusaders against the Sharks, in the first Super Rugby match played outside of New Zealand, Australia or South Africa. On 9 April, in his fifth game for the Crusaders, Williams scored his 3rd try. On 23 April Williams, playing off the reserves bench against the Highlanders, experienced his first rugby defeat since his All Black debut more than five months earlier. A week later he scored his fourth try while playing against the Western Force
Western Force
Western Force is a rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super Rugby competition. They first competed in the 2006 season and finished with the wooden spoon in that year, however their performances greatly improved in 2007. In 2008 they finished in 8th...
. On 7 May Williams played his first rugby match in South Africa in the Crusaders victory over the Stormers
Stormers
The Stormers, for sponsorship reasons referred to as DHL Stormers, are a South African rugby union team based in Cape Town competing in the Super Rugby competition . Despite their lack of silverware over the years, their home stadium, Newlands, typically draws the highest average attendance figures...
at Newlands Stadium
Newlands Stadium
Newlands Stadium, currently referred to as DHL Newlands for sponsorship reasons, is located in Cape Town, South Africa.The stadium currently has a capacity of 51,900 people, but is not an all seater venue....
. On 29 May he played against the Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
in a match which set a new attendance record for an Australian Super Rugby game with 48,301 fans at Suncorp Stadium
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
. On 25 June he scored his fifth try whilst playing against the Sharks in the first finals week of the Super Rugby competition. A week later against the Stormers in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
he was part of the Crusaders team that became the first side to win a Super Rugby semifinal outside their home country since 1999. On 9 July Williams was part of the Crusaders team that lost to the Queensland Reds in the Grand Final held at Suncorp Stadium before a crowd of 52,113 – an Australian provincial attendance record. He ended the Super Rugby season with the most off-loads, was second to Quade Cooper
Quade Cooper
Quade S. Cooper is a New Zealand born Australian rugby union player.He currently plays for the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby competition and the Australia national rugby union team, generally as fly-half.-Career:...
for linebreak assists, was in the top ten for try assists, and was 13th overall for run metres; while no other centre came close to Williams's off-load and linebreak assist figures.
On 30 July Williams played his first home test match
Test match (rugby union)
Test match in rugby union is a match recognised as being a full international match by at least one of the participating teams' governing bodies. It is an unofficial but widely used term in the sport....
during the second game of the 2011 Tri Nations Series
2011 Tri Nations Series
The 2011 Tri Nations Series was the sixteenth annual Tri Nations rugby union series between the national rugby union teams of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, respectively nicknamed the All Blacks, Wallabies, and Springboks. It was also the last series in which only three teams...
. On 9 September he played in his first Rugby World Cup in the opening match of the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
. A week later he scored his first test rugby tries during New Zealand’s second game, in which he played on the right wing. The match was also the first time he has played outside the centres since playing for Toulon, where he had a handful of games on the wing and in the back row. He scored his third try of the tournament against France in his second consecutive game playing on the wing. On 2 October Williams scored in a third consecutive match, whilst playing against Canada. New Zealand went on to win the 2011 Rugby World Cup, with Williams amassing a record of any Rugby World Cup of three tries as a substitute player.
On 31 October it was announced that Williams will join the Chiefs for the 2012 Super Rugby season
2012 Super Rugby season
The 2012 Super Rugby season is the second season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition, which involves teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Including its past incarnations as Super 12 and Super 14, this is the 17th season for the Southern Hemisphere's premier...
- with his new contract allowing a “limited number” of professional boxing bouts.
Boxing
On 27 May 2009, Williams made his debut as a professional boxer and defeated Garry Gurr with a Technical knockout (TKO) in the second round in Sydney. On 30 June 2010, he defeated Ryan Hogan in a bout that ended by way of TKO after only two minutes and 35 seconds. Williams described the preparation for the fight as "good off-season training" for his imminent debut for the Canterbury rugby team.Williams fought in his third professional match against Australian Scott Lewis (on 29 January 2011 at the Gold Coast Convention Centre) in his first fight as the main event. Lewis' trainer Terry Devlin named his youngest son after Sonny Bill Williams, whom he calls a "superb athlete". Williams was initially scheduled to fight Lewis on 29 January at Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Newcastle Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose Australian arena located within the Newcastle Showgrounds and was opened in 1992 at a cost of A$12m....
. However, the bout was moved to the Gold Coast to cross-promote Williams's Super rugby team, the Crusaders, and their pre-season game against the Queensland Reds
Queensland Reds
The Queensland Reds represent Queensland in the sport of rugby union in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition. Prior to 1996 they were a representative team selected on merit from the rugby union club competitions in Queensland...
. Due to the 2010-2011 Queensland floods occurring at the same time as Williams's preparation for his bout against Scott Lewis, as well as his chief sparring partner Alex Leapai being stranded by the flooding in Gatton
Gatton, Queensland
Gatton is a town and the administrative centre of the Lockyer Valley Local Government Area situated in the Lockyer Valley of South East Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Gatton had a population of 5,295....
, Williams donated 200 tickets to his 29 January fight to flood victims. Williams won the six-round bout against Lewis by unanimous points decision
Unanimous decision
A unanimous decision is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking in which all three judges agree on which fighter won the match....
. He was scored favourably 60-55, 60-55 and 60-54 by the three judges. A fan paid $3,890 for his autographed gloves from the bout, with the money going towards the Queensland flood relief fund.
Williams fought again on 5 June, when the Crusaders had a bye
Bye (sports)
A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...
week. The fight, the second of three allowed under his agreement with the NZRU, took place at Trusts Stadium
Trusts Stadium
Trusts Stadium is an indoor arena located in Waitakere City, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a multi-purpose stadium that primarily holds sports events and music concerts...
, Waitakere City against Tongan Alipate Liava'a. Williams won the bout by unanimous points decision, the fight scored 60-54 in his favour by all three judges. It was promoted as a Christchurch earthquake charity fight dubbed "The Clash For Canterbury". The fight became one of the single largest fundraisers for the 2011 Christchurch earthquake appeal when Sky donated its profits from the pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
sales of the fight and Williams made a $NZ100,000 donation from his share of TV sales- described as “one of the biggest individual donations by an athlete to a disaster appeal”.
Personal life
Williams converted to IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in 2008, and is the first Muslim to play for the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
.
His younger sister Niall Williams is a New Zealand international touch football
Touch football (rugby league)
Touch is a field sport also known as Touch Football, or in some countries as Touch Rugby. Touch is overseen worldwide by the Federation of International Touch . Touch has traditionally been played in Australia and New Zealand but the sport has expanded internationally and features many regional and...
player, and won gold at the Youth World Cup in 2005 and silver at the 2011 Touch Football World Cup.
Williams was in Christchurch when both the 2010
2010 Canterbury earthquake
The 2010 Canterbury earthquake was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am on local time ....
and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes struck.
Controversies
Williams has been involved in a number of controversial off-field incidents. The circumstances in which he left the Bulldogs created a great media debate in Australia and New Zealand and Williams was the subject of considerable criticism.On 17 August 2005 he was charged with drink driving
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
; the Bulldogs fined him $5,000 over the incident and he appeared in Waverley
Waverley, New South Wales
Waverley is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Waverley is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council....
Local Court on 7 September. He was convicted of drink driving, with a blood alcohol level of .075.
In 2007, Williams was caught in a compromising position with Australian model and ironwoman Candice Falzon
Candice Falzon
Candice Ann Falzon is an Australian professional ironwoman, surf life saver and model. She is of Maltese heritage.- Ironwoman :...
. A photo taken on a mobile phone of the incident was published on the Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
website. He later apologised to his then girlfriend Genna Shaw over the incident and said he was "ashamed and embarrassed".
On 17 June 2007, Williams was caught by police urinating on a wall in an alleyway near a nightclub in Cronulla in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and was given an infringement notice and fine worth $650. He subsequently admitted he had an alcohol problem and said he would be seeking professional help.
On 25 August 2010, Williams was reprimanded by his Canterbury provincial rugby team for skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
while on injury leave. A Canterbury Rugby Union spokesman confirmed he had not been given clearance to go on a skiing trip on the day of Canterbury’s NPC match against Tasman
Tasman Rugby Union
The Tasman Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union at the top of the South Island in New Zealand. It is New Zealand's newest provincial union, founded in 2006 with the amalgamation of the existing Marlborough and Nelson Bays sub unions...
, and said he had been “reminded of his responsibilities.”
NRL
| Season | Matches | Tries | Goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 National Rugby League season 2004 The year 2004 NRL season was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen clubs competed for the Telstra Premiership... |
15 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| 2005 National Rugby League season 2005 The 2005 NRL season was the 98th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the eighth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs contesting the 2005 Telstra Premiership, which culminated in a grand final... |
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 2006 National Rugby League season 2006 The 2006 NRL season was the 99th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the ninth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs competing for the 2006 Telstra Premiership... |
21 | 8 | 0 | 32 |
| 2007 National Rugby League season 2007 The 2007 NRL season was the one hundredth season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the tenth run by the National Rugby League... |
21 | 14 | 0 | 56 |
| 2008 National Rugby League season 2008 The 2008 NRL season was the 101st season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the eleventh run by the National Rugby League. For the second year, sixteen teams competed for the 2008 Telstra Premiership title. The season commenced with the first matches played on 14 March... |
11 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
Professional boxing
|-| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|4 Wins (2 knockouts), 0 Losses, 0 Draws
|- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;"
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res.
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponnent
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location
| style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes
|- align=center
|Win
|align=center|4-0||align=left|
Alipate Liava'a|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|align=center|3-0||align=left|
Scott Lewis|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|align=center|2-0||align=left| Ryan Hogan
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|- align=center
|Win
|align=center|1-0||align=left| Garry Gurr
|
|
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
Honours
Individual- 2004National Rugby League season 2004The year 2004 NRL season was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen clubs competed for the Telstra Premiership...
: International Newcomer of the Year - 2004: World XIII
- 2005: Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards "Fave Rising Star"
External links
- Sonny Bill Williams’ NRL playing statistics
- Sonny's runner Essay on Williams' 2008 mid-season move by Sean FaganSean FaganSean Patrick Fagan is a Sydney, Australia based sports historian, author and journalist, specialising in early Australian history and particular the origins and local development of the popular football codes in Australia. He has written articles for Australian national daily newspapers, numerous...
- League's most hated player? by Daniel Ramus
- Profile on itsrugby.co.uk