'We are assuming that they're not going to be there' - Blues coach Leon MacDonald resigned to losing key veterans
Blues head coach Leon MacDonald isn’t expecting star midfielders Sonny Bill Williams and Ma’a Nonu to return to the Auckland franchise next season.
Speaking to the New Zealand Herald after his side’s 22-all draw with the Bulls at Eden Park on Friday, MacDonald said the Blues weren’t in negotiations for a new contract with either player for next year.
“We are assuming that they’re not going to be there – that’s the way we’re looking at it,” MacDonald said.
“It would be more of a surprise to see them stay and play another season in New Zealand – put it that way.
“I’m assuming they’re more interested in another option, but if they came back to us and said New Zealand is where they want to be for another year then we’d definitely be talking.”
At the ages of 37 and 33, Nonu and Williams are in the twilights of their respective professional sporting careers, but both will take vast amounts of experience with them.
Nonu made his Super Rugby debut in 2003 for the Hurricanes, and has gone on to amass 173 appearances with the Wellington-based club, the Blues and the Highlanders to add to his 103 test caps two World Cup titles attained with the All Blacks.
He has been in good form for MacDonald’s side this year – his third stint with the club – making 12 appearances and scoring three times.
Despite this, an improbable return to the All Blacks squad for the World Cup remains unlikely due to the conveyer belt of talent ahead of Nonu in the midfield.
Reports earlier this week suggested that he could make a remarkable return to Toulon once his time with the Blues comes to an end, re-joining the French club he played for between 2016 and 2018 as replacement for the New York-bound Mathieu Bastareaud.
Williams, meanwhile, has hardly featured for the Blues since the beginning of last year, playing just six times in 2018, and only five times this year.
His limited game time in Super Rugby is the result of injuries sustained over the course of 15 years at the top level of both rugby union and rugby league.
Nevertheless, his inclusion in the All Blacks’ World Cup squad appears inevitable should he be fit for the tournament given his experience and talent on both sides of the ball.
It would be the 51-test star’s third, and likely final, outing at the sport’s global showpiece event, where he will look to add a third successive winners medal to the two Super Rugby crowns and two NRL titles he’s claimed across union and league.
Williams won’t be short of options when his current contract with New Zealand Rugby runs out at the end of this year, with a return to European or Japanese rugby, or rugby league in Australia, the United Kingdom or North America, all still on the table.
He could also opt to resume his stagnant professional boxing career, while a move into retirement could also be imminent.
Williams is set to return from a long-term knee injury, which has sidelined him since late March, against the Reds in Brisbane next Friday.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
Let’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
4 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
4 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
4 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
38 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
4 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
2 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to comments