Sonny Bill Williams Turns Down NZRU Offer, Re-Signs with Roosters

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: October 11, 2013

commentComment        

Sonny Bill Williams has announced that he will not return to New Zealand Rugby in 2014, according to Marc Hinton of the Waikato Times, electing instead to re-sign with the Sydney Roosters for one more year in rugby league's NRL. Williams turned down a three-year deal from the NZRU that would see him play for the Chiefs and most likely the All Blacks.



The week has been a controversial one for the superstar. After winning an NRL Premiership with the Roosters on Sunday, he took a U-turn on his decision not to represent New Zealand at the 2013 Rugby League World Cup. Just one day after the squad had been announced, Williams decided to make himself available and was included in the Kiwis side at the expense of 21-year-old Tohu Harris.

It was a move that has done Williams no favours in his bid to rebuild his reputation after walking out on the Canterbury Bulldogs NRL club in 2008. 

Perhaps his change of heart came as a result of his decision to stick with rugby league after previously being unsure about his future.

Given that he has only signed a one-year deal, there still remains the possibility that he will return to New Zealand for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. 

There is no doubt that he improved markedly in his time playing rugby union. His early career saw him look very much like a league player playing union, taking poor options and looking lost at various stages of the game.



While his offload was one of the biggest weapons in the game, he looked to use it every time, and it became too predictable. On top of this, when he came up against a strong opponent, he had a tendency to go into a shell, passing the ball on rather than attacking the line and drawing defenders.

He was included in the All Blacks 2011 World Cup winning side, but much of this was based on reputation, and in the crunch games he only played minor roles. 

In 2012, thoug...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Rugby Union

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!