I think Sonny Bill Williams is a great addition to the All Black fold but for cryin’ out loud, he ain’t the bloody Messiah!
The media and rugby in general has just gone nuts over this guy. He’s the new black. Can walk on water.
Isn’t there anything to write about that doesn’t involve SBW? Everybody seems to have an opinion.
I mean, we’ve got QC saying he’ll be quaking in his boots when he’s forced to tackle him. However, I’m not quite sure how much different it would be from now?
That already seems to happen when Ma’a Nonu or Kieran Read run at him?
We’ve got Timmy Horan saying that maybe he should be a flanker instead of a centre – shades of Andy Farrell. Although Timmy thinks the ABs would be hard pressed to break up the world class Nonu/Smith partnership, and he’s probably right.
Eddie Jones was fairly predictable and in an ‘I told you so’ fashion said that he knew he’d always make it in union because he was so talented.
We’ve got comparisons coming from across the Tasman describing SBW as ‘the new Jonah Lomu’ and his Canterbury coach saying that SBW is ‘in a class of his own’.
Continuing the fawning ‘love-in’ Ma’a Nonu and Dan Carter were all over him like a rash with the latter calling him ‘world class’ but tempering this with praise for Nonu as the best 2nd five eighth in the world (you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of Ma’a now would you Dan?).
World class? He hasn’t played a game of international rugby union in his life Dan? Apart from a Baa Baas match where he was seriously embarrassed by Stirlo and a halfback!
That great rugby paper the Daily Shitgraph had a monster v midget ‘think piece’ comparing SBW with Gits. This was mainly about their disparity in weight. That took a bit of working out, I’ll bet?
And then there was the text from his mother telling him of his original selection for the All Blacks. Ah, a real human interest story….
I haven’t heard this much hysteria about a player since Will ‘Bumface’ Carling was fingered for bonking Princess Di!
Lets get real about this. The bloke is a talent and has the look of a future star but it’ll take more than 12 months (when his contract ends) to develop into an All Black legend.
I think it’s highly unlikely he’ll stay longer than that given his earning power in Europe.
I agree with Horan that, injuries notwithstanding, the established pair are not for turning.
The All Black selectors don’t have the benefit of any midweek matches to blood this guy so it’ll be interesting to see how many opportunities he gets in a Grand Slam Tour.
Maybe his best chance will be against the Wallabies this weekend?
The other consideration is which position will he be playing in? The makeup of the team probably suggests inside centre with Toeava more of an OC, although he’s probably a true utility.
In my view, Nonu and Smith are currently the world’s best centre pairing. I think results have confirmed that.
I’m really impressed with the way Nonu has reinvented his game from being a one-dimensional ‘bash and barge’ winger to a far more skillful and creative player than he ever was before.
And not only that but Smith is the ideal foil for him. He’s deceptively fast, glides into gaps and possesses the sort of silky distribution skills that only wingers appreciate.
I understand that some of this hysteria might relate to Williams’ cross code popularity (or notoriety perhaps) but clearly it’s gone over the top.
I look forward to seeing Sonny Bro’ on the park showcasing all his skills but spare me the hero worship, it’s yet to be backed up by performance.
