Sonny Bill Williams

[Epi]

I think the SBW - Fruen combination will be the second choice centre partnership for the ABs.. Not a bad second choice to have!

 

[en_force_er]

I think the ABs should go Sonny and that the Wallabies would but I don't rate his chances too highly.

I mean Wobs love development selections and the ABs traditionally don't.

 

[Kangaroo Sausage]

And the Prophecy is fulfilled!

 

[Epi]

He didn't leave them much choice. Good on him...

Stephen Donald?? Geez.. he's lucky.

 

[ChargerWA]

He is developing so rapidly, his ball distribution and kick through yesterday were spot on, almost good enough to take the attention away from his tackle busting and offloading, but I still think he is a better 13 than 12.

 

[TOCC]

I still think he is a bit of a defensive liability, he needs another 12months at the top level to get up to speed

 

[en_force_er]

I feel bad for Fruean who I felt was equally deserving to Williams.

Still, good on the ABs for taking the risk.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

You are probably right, but if he is not given exposure, how will he develop the requisite skills and experiences?

The young graduates paradox. All jobs demand people with experience. How can you demonstrate the experience if no one takes a chance on you to get experience.

Like our Quade, (and Campo at his worst) a team can carry one poor defender for the attack bonus they bring.

At the moment IMHO, the Darkness can carry SBW poor defence, particularly if he is used as fresh legs off the bench.
The opponents will place two defenders on him, creating gaps outside for other players to run up the points.

As much as I do not necessarily agree with SBW personal characteristics, I can appreciate the skills he brings to the Rugby arena for the Darkness.
Our bloody mungoballers made him what he is, and he is off to play with the Darkness against us. Shizen!

 

[TOCC]

Definitely use him off the bench, The exposure will be good for him, but if I were New Zealand I prob wouldn't start him against the better attacking centre combos

 

[ACT Crusader]

I still think he is a bit of a defensive liability, he needs another 12months at the top level to get up to speed

mmmm in 12 months time we will be....

Massive opportunity for him just to be in the AB camp learning things he didn' know. Playing/training along side seasoned test players.

On Fruean - during this years S14 his defence was terrible. He got himself out of position so many times it was beyond funny. He had played hardly ay provincial footy prior to debuting with the Saders this year. And much of those provincial games were cameos off the bench on the wing. IMO he should have been eased in off the wing during teh S14.

He has attacked the house down during the ITM, but still has a few defensive issues that haven't been exposed as bad at the lower level. He's definitely a prospect but he has all kinds of time and he will feature post-WC (unless there are about 4-5 guys that go down before then.)

 

[Lee Grant]

Loved the remark by the commentator [Canterbury v Counties] when SBW ran through the tackle of Tana to score: "Luke Skywalker goes through the Obi-Wan (Kenobi); the universe is in trouble."

 

[Hawko]

Loved the remark by the commentator [Canterbury v Counties] when SBW ran through the tackle of Tana to score: "Luke Skywalker goes through the Obi-Wan (Kenobi); the universe is in trouble."

Classic. Should go in the great quotes thread, its up there with the best. Dennis Commetti would be proud.

 

[Blue]

I have to say the more I look at it the more impressed I am with how SBW and the Kiwis in general have dealt with the whole thing. No fanfair. Just play and prove yourself son. He did all anyone could have expected of him.

It's great for rugby. When the Cantabs play anywhere in Australia there will be a few more tickets sold and I'll admit I will pay good money to see the guy.

Its been quite trouble free though. The next test comes when he hits a bit of a lull in form (if it happens, which it inevitably will). That will be version 2 of the Sonny Transformer Test.

For now it's been fatastic to watch it all unfold and I felt happy for the guy when I saw him interviewed on SBS news earlier.

 

[Scorz]

I had my reservations, I thought he might be a showpony, a carthorse with an offload, another leaguie who wouldn't get stuck in, etc... He tackles and defends, he passes beatifully, he hits rucks if he needs to, he has good safe hands, his offloads are spectacular at ITM level and he can fend and bump too. He is something special.
Will he get past Nonu though? I don't know. Nonu has won games for us this year.

 

[DPK]

And he seems pretty cheery. Threw a poor pass in one of the recent ITM games and had a chuckle while the camera was on him.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

I had similar reservations Scorz, but he's done it all the right way since being back in NZ and appears to have played his way into the team. He's still not at the level of the Smith/Nonu combination, but as a bench player he will go well. Next year in the S15 when he fronts up against the best teams in the SH will be an interesting test and one that I look forward to seeing.

 

[Mainlander]

Interesting. His main fault seems to be his defence according to some her yet I haven't seen any problems in this are myself yet. He's in the Canterbury team and thus next years Sadders team. A team renown for their defence and also for taking "troublesome" players and turning them into gold. If he'd gone to Auckland it'd probably be an issue but you can bet any problems in this are will be well and truly solved in the Cantab environment.

Also the current AB 2nd Nonu isn't exactly unblemished in the past in this regard. Dean's is supposed to have given up in exasperation on him when he was the AB asst. and there was a very long thread a few years ago over on the fern were everyone agreed he shouldn't ever be allowed near the black jersey ever again. Dean's in his first and only win against the AB's actually achieved that result by setting Nonu up and exposing his defensive lapses to help achieve that win and the result was Nonu was deliberately left out (or at least put on the bench) for the next few AB/Aussie games.

Now day's Nonu is regarded is one of the world's best at 2nds and let's face it Quality 2nd fives (or inside centres) are as rear as hen's teeth. The AB's had Mauger who in his day was one of the world's best and really nothing else until Nonu came right. (MacAlister never made the grade despite what some Orc's believe.) And over her in Oz you've had Gits who also was quality and well on the road to being the worlds best 2nd until the started fuckin him around in other positions. Then you have the "good" 2nd's, players that are OK, do their job well but really aren't game breakers. They aren't going to make (or create) the winning score. I'd put Stanley and Barnes in this class of player.

So can any of you honestly say if SBW was available for Convict selection after what we've seen so far in the NZ NPC (I refuse to call it any other name) that you wouldn't have him in your EOTY touring squad and be creaming yourself in anticipation of his first outing on the international stage.

 

[Mainlander]

I had my reservations, I thought he might be a showpony, a carthorse with an offload, another leaguie who wouldn't get stuck in, etc... He tackles and defends, he passes beatifully, he hits rucks if he needs to, he has good safe hands, his offloads are spectacular at ITM level and he can fend and bump too. He is something special.
Will he get past Nonu though? I don't know. Nonu has won games for us this year.

Yeah but let's face it, with how easily this current generation of backs break I don't think that will be a problem, he'll get a chance sooner rather than latter. (That’s provided he isn't also broken).

How many times have the AB's had to draft a fullback into the starting center position in critical games of the past, Cullen, MacDonald, Muliaina, hell even Carters done a test there. Smith only ever plays 1 in three because of injury, Kahu is always injured and Toeava and Nonu have both only recently recovered from injury themselves.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

So can any of you honestly say if SBW was available for Convict selection after what we've seen so far in the NZ NPC (I refuse to call it any other name) that you wouldn't have him in your EOTY touring squad and be creaming yourself in anticipation of his first outing on the international stage.

In the squad, yes. In the starting line up, not yet.

 

[Lee Grant]

I would have had SBW in the Oz squad before the ITM based on the 2nd season he had at Toulon. I seen reports of others saying he was not great at Toulon but I doubt if they saw him play more times than I did and, IMO, the more he played in Yr. 2 the better his league attributes had value in rugby union. His success in the ITM including his situation intelligence, was not only not a surprise, but also expected.

More to the point perhaps - would Freuen have made the Oz EOYT - and Slade?

For the record: no, I wouldn't start SBW in a test with the Wallabies, nor would I any other newcomer to the squad.