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Sonny Bill Williams reminds All Blacks teammates to 'just have fun' ahead of Bledisloe bout
By Patrick McKendry, NZ Herald
Don’t forget to have fun. It may sound like a strange message for the All Blacks as they prepare for a test against the Wallabies at Eden Park which will determine the fate of the Bledisloe Cup but it’s one delivered with the best of intentions by Sonny Bill Williams, a midfielder returning in the nick of time.
Jack Goodhue’s hamstring injury means Williams will either start against Australia on Saturday or run on from the reserves bench should the All Blacks select second-five Ngani Laumape to start alongside centre Anton Lienert-Brown instead.
And, after playing two full games for Counties recently, Williams has re-found the fun aspect of rugby. He didn’t react well to a recent story in the Herald which suggested he was under pressure to perform in the Mitre 10 Cup in order to make his third World Cup squad, but his joie de vivre is back big time this week as he prepares to return to the black jersey.
“When you come into an environment like this; there’s a lot of pressure and it’s high stakes footy,” Williams said. “To go back there [to Counties], you can just enjoy being around the boys and playing with your mates.
“Obviously the [All Black] boys are hurting [after loss last weekend] … but we have to perk ourselves up and smile. For myself, that’s what I’m about because I have got in that place where everything’s serious – it’s footy, footy, footy. And you lose the enjoyment aspect.”
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Williams, short of rugby this year due to a long list of injuries, including a knee problem and hamstring strain, was satisfactory against the Boks in the recent drawn test in Wellington before he was told to improve his match fitness in a less intense environment.
He said there were few messages from the selectors apart from: “Just go out and get a feel for it – get the running game going and just back yourself. At Counties, one of our pillars is having fun and another is expressing yourself so I just tried to do that.”
Asked if he felt he was on trial, he said: “I think you’re always on trial. If you don’t think you are then you’ll be slipping. For myself, I’ve really focused on being where my feet are, being grateful, and also understanding if you concentrate too much on the big picture you lose sight of what’s happening in front of you.”
Assistant coach Ian Foster felt Williams did enough at Counties to suggest he was on track. With Williams yet to commit to New Zealand Rugby for next year, and unlikely to, this will be his final Bledisloe Cup test and probably final game at Eden Park.
“He’s now had some good minutes under his belt,” Foster said. “We gave him some time against South Africa and we were okay with what he did on the park but we just felt he needed more game time and that’s something we’ve done regularly.
“You look at the running metres for his game for Counties and they were huge so he worked really hard. He’s come back in and his own confidence has grown.”
Watching the All Blacks lose to the Wallabies in Perth was not as easy for the former league player who has spent a lot of time across the ditch.
“It was tough. From a personal point of view, you want to be a part of it but you also want the boys to do well. It was a tough game to watch but I was proud of the boys and the ticker they showed. They hung in there and showed some fight as All Blacks do.”
This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and was republished again with permission.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Bell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
13 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
13 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to comments