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Sonny Bill Williams has picked a side in the Quade Cooper - Brad Thorn beef

By Online Editors
New Zealand star Sonny Bill Williams

All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams appears to have chosen a side in the Quade CooperBrad Thorn beef.

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The Wallaby flyhalf was famously deemed surplus to requirements by Thorn at the start of the 2018 Super Rugby season, but Cooper had resisted having a pop at the former All Black secondrow, until breaking his silence this week.

The mercurial 10 posted on instagram with an image of himself handing off Thorn, the message below reading: “Sometimes you are forced out of the place you love but thank god there’s more than one place that loves me.”

He backed that up by sending a new message after the announcement of his signing for the Rebels on Tuesday, again offering some cryptic messages by saying he will now be playing, learning and “ENJOYING” his rugby in all caps.

Now Sonny Bill Williams has apparently picked a side in the beef. Despite having won a World Cup with Brad Thorn in 2015, it’s clear Williams is siding with the Wallaby.

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Speaking from Toyko, Williams said in relation to the acrimony between the pair: “I’ll always support my bro. I will always support Quade and that situation is no different.”

“He’s very driven and I think the year off has enhanced that…Hopefully he doesn’t go too well against the Blues but I’m happy that he’ll be suiting back up in Super Rugby. I’m excited to see him back out there.”

Cooper will now look to exact revenge on Thorn’s Red as part of a increasingly dangerous looking backline, which now compromises a stable of Australia’s premier players with Cooper’s old teammate Will Genia, Matt Toomua, Reece Hodge, Dane Haylett-Petty, Marika Koroibete and rising star Jack Maddocks.

“I want to do whatever I can on and off the field to help grow the rugby community in Melbourne. I’m keen to work hard and make the entire Rebels organisation and their fans proud,” Cooper said.

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“I was really impressed seeing the improvement that Melbourne have made this year.

“Their professionalism since the first discussion we had about me being a Rebel has been first class.”

“I know that rugby in Melbourne has a strong history and cultural connection.

“If I can help out the grassroots and be involved in inspiring the next generation, then that is just a bonus for me.”

Cooper was contracted to the Reds for the 2019 Super Rugby season on the final year of his original 3-year homecoming deal, but a release agreement appears to have been negotiated. It is believed the Reds will still cover some of the bill for Cooper’s salary.

Rebels coach Dave Wessels had been pushing for Cooper’s signature for some time now and has now found a suitable replacement for flyhalf Jack Debreczini.

“I’ve obviously chatted to Quade a lot over the last few months and I’ve been impressed by his love of the game, and his willingness to reflect on his journey. He’s been pretty selfless in his commitment to club rugby in Brisbane and has shown patience and maturity,” he said.

“He knows that he has some hard work ahead of him, but he has the potential to be a really important spark for us over the next few months. We’re excited to have him.”

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Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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