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Sonny Bill Williams speaks from the heart after arriving in grief-stricken Christchurch
Sonny Bill Williams will attend Friday prayers in Christchurch after arriving in the grieving New Zealand South Island city on Thursday night in support of the Muslim community following last Friday’s terror attacks.
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The deadly shootings at two Christchurch mosques claimed the lives of 50 people and Williams, a devout Muslim, has come to sympathise with people after taking a leave of absence from the Blues and missing his team’s weekend match against the Highlanders.
In an interview broadcast on TVNZ, Williams said after touching down at the local airport: “I’ll be heading to Friday prayers.
“It’s important to show a united front and get to the mosque and show that us as Muslims, we know that we’re valued New Zealanders.
“I’m just down here to show support – I don’t have all the answers but I’m definitely down here just to try and help the best way I can,” he continued, proud of the way his fellow New Zealanders have united in their support of the grief-stricken Muslim community.
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“It’s beautiful. We have to be gentle at the start because there are a lot of mixed emotions. You have just got to do what is best for the victims, but then moving forward I think something beautiful is going to happen.”
Williams has announced earlier in the week on social media that he had formed an alliance with the Muslims Around The World Project to raise funds for victims’ families.
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I’ve partnered with MATW Project to raise funds for victims’ families from yesterday’s mass shooting @ Friday prayer. We are 1 community & we stand firm in supporting one another & those in need. Show your generosity by donating to https://t.co/akkqTRE0hY(Select emergency appeal) pic.twitter.com/GuoxwERN1p
— Sonny Bill Williams (@SonnyBWilliams) March 16, 2019
The All Blacks centre, who has been linked with a switch back to rugby league following this year’s union World Cup in Japan, has been busy posting messages to his social channels in the wake of the terror attacks.
He sent his best wishes to victims who are still fighting for the lives in hospital following the shootings and acknowledged the leadership being shown in New Zealand by its prime minister Jacinda Ardern. He also also put up a picture with local people following his arrival in Christchurch.
The resilience of my brothers is amazing. We will all return to our maker one day ??
Alhumdulliah. Peace & blessings family pic.twitter.com/e2tfyZ2jGy— Sonny Bill Williams (@SonnyBWilliams) March 21, 2019
Comments on RugbyPass
Mad how this somehow contained absolutely zero information.
1 Go to commentsI’m looking forward to attending the Twickenham match, I don’t think it will have a bearing on the outcome of the grand prize itself but it will tell us more about each teams’ preparation and game plan. It’s hard to look past one of the big four (I’m including Canada) lifting the trophy in 2025 but sport is a curious thing, there will still be twists and turns in road ahead.
2 Go to commentsThe better side seems to be the losing side a lot these days. As far as narrative goes. Must be the big emergent culture of “participation awards” that have emerged in nanny states. ”It looked like New Zealand would take the game from there but lapses in execution let South Africa get back into the game. New Zealand’s goal kickers left five points out there, including a very make-able penalty on the stroke of half”. Sounds like a chronic problem… I wonder how the better team has lapses in concentration and execution? Or are those not important factors in the grand scheme of total performances? In 2023, the ABs at least didn’t give up a lead to lose. They just couldn’t execute to get the points and take the lead. This Baby AB result points to a choke - letting the game slip through your fingers. In the words of the great Ricky Bobby’s dad - “If you’re not 1st you’re last!” Loosely translated - if you didn’t win, you’re a loser.
9 Go to commentsWith Stuart Lancaster at the helm, Racing 92 looks more and more a mercenaries club like Toulon some years ago and they are not even performing despite all the money on offer.
4 Go to commentsCouple of things BS missed: wind was behind the Baby Blacks in the first half. Baby Boks got points from a scrum penalty in the final quarter against this ‘dominant pack’, and left three points on the park after a missed penalty.
9 Go to commentsSensible thoughts on this, Brett. Also worth considering we’ve sold 60k tickets for a game between the Rebels and the Lions next year. Got to be roughly $10m in ticket and game day revenue there.
5 Go to commentsUnsuccessful bitter ex Ulster player taking a pop shot at a side that isn't including his consistently poor mates up north
4 Go to commentsHis decision to play in France isn’t a petulant decision as this article suggests. I reckon that France is the perfect place to demonstrate that he can mix it in those battles Rassie references. It’s a good decision to try get into the squad. My personal opinion is that he wins more battles than he loses. I don’t have Rassie’s stats machine behind me, but Daymian’s is so strong moving through traffic and in the rip.
4 Go to commentsWow! Argie forward dominance is something I have not read in years….
1 Go to commentsIs the ‘snub’ really why he is leaving? He hasn’t said that has he? You don’t have to stay in SA to play for the Boks, so it’s not that he’s giving up on trying to get into the squad as the case would be in, say, England or New Zealand. Rassie made it clear that the early camps won’t feature all the players to play for the Boks this year so I can’t imagine Dayimani was too offended by being overlooked this time. It just seems like a sensationalist angle to take for a story without really knowing the player’s intentions.
4 Go to commentsWell, it is easily one of the best Irish sides, it’s just that their historical standard is very low.
4 Go to commentsThe Irish side is good. They have lost 2 games in the last 23 tests. In the last 12 months they have have a 60% win rate against the top 5 sides in the world. Over the same period south africa have a 67% win rate against the top 5 teams, and New Zealand are at 40%.
4 Go to commentsOnly 1247 days until RWC 2027 starts Bin Smuth🤣Can’t wait to see how unhinged you’re still gonna get between now & then
200 Go to commentsany chance either team will improve on their u20 world cup performances this time around? I assume both sides will be deeply disappointed with how things went.
6 Go to commentsAnother poor articles by a poor journo, nothing new from Ben, at least you are consistently bad lol, geez I will try and watch the match later, clearly Benny was only looking to one end of the pitch, hard to tell whom the Baby Blacks were playing if it wasn’t in the header 😄😄
9 Go to commentsNz should have won. I didn't watch the game, but the ref was at fault and the bounce of the ball and the Bokke used the Bomb squad and the Bokke slow the game down and the Bokke scrum. They should remove the scrum. The Bokke are to strong. Not fair. Nz should have won
9 Go to commentsProbably the worst article on a rugby match I have ever read
200 Go to commentsWho hurt this man.. LoL 😭
200 Go to commentsIt unfortunate for the Jaguares that they became formidable just as super rugby as we knew came to an end. However, the idea of bringing them back is nonsensical. While I enjoyed the Jaguares and the South African flavour of the comp, a selling point of this incarnation of super rugby is that all games are on a decent time for an Aussie audience.
5 Go to commentslol that’s your opinion Ben, All Blacks benefited from a forward pass try, SA played 77 min without a recognised hooker, missed a no try conversion and a penalty could have would have but didn’t
200 Go to comments