Bret Harris | June 08, 2009



Article from: The Australian

WAS Sonny Bill Williams's appearance for the Barbarians against the Wallabies a publicity stunt? Of course, it was. Did it work? Yes and no.

The ARU's marketing department knew Williams would create additional interest in the game, and he did.

Almost every player and coach who was interviewed by the media in the lead-up to the game was asked, 'What do you think of Sonny Bill Williams?'

The ARU probably thought Williams would put an extra 5000 to 10,000 bums on seats at the Sydney Football Stadium, but it is doubtful he had any real impact at the box office.

First, the game was not a sell-out. And surely the Wallabies could attract a crowd of 39,688 to the SFS regardless of whether Williams was playing or not.

Still, Williams did have a small band of fans who mobbed him after the game and he seemed very happy to pose for photos and sign autographs.

The big question before the game was how would Williams perform? While the Barbarians do have a tradition of selecting an uncapped player, Williams was very green indeed.

Williams had only played about 16 games for dysfunctional French team Toulon after walking out on the Bulldogs in the NRL. And he was pitted against Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock, one of the greatest outside centres in the history of the game.

Playing for Toulon, Williams showed if he could run hard, straight and offload in the tackle, he could be devastating.

But if he had to catch and pass or think about the game tactically he would get lost. It was much the same on Saturday night.

Williams almost set the game alight when he beat Mortlock in the fifth minute and offloaded in the tackle of halfback Luke Burgess, but the ball went loose and the play came to nothing.

He had one more bright moment when he was involved twice in the play as the Barbarians ran from one quarter of the field to the other, but lost the ball in the tackle.

In defence Williams and Mortlock bashed into each other like a couple of bull moose, competing for mating rights. But Williams was often caught out of position defensively.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans knew Williams was untested at this level and set out to test him.

"One of the biggest challenges for Sonny in the Test match area; the speed that things happen, the time and space realities are different from club rugby," Deans said.

"If you ask a player what the point of difference is about their first experience at Test level, more often than not, they'll say time and space.

"Less time and space. Less time to think. Less time to do things.

"And that's what you have to adapt to first before you start to thrive."

Wallabies openside flanker Phil Waugh, who captained the Barbarians on Saturday night, said Williams had the potential to become a great rugby player.

"I thought he did reasonably well," Waugh said. "He's got pretty good instincts in terms of chasing holes and hitting guys with the ball. The hardest thing in the transition from league to union is the subtleties.

"Sonny Bill would be the first to admit the subtleties are the difference between being a good player and a great player. He has the potential to be a great player. Those subtleties he'll learn over time and he'll be a lot better for that performance last night."

Waugh said he could see Williams playing for the All Blacks one day, but he is also eligible for Australia and Samoa.

Williams revealed yesterday he had an Australian grandmother, which made him eligible for the Wallabies.

"When I was young it was funny because I always used to think my nana was a bit strange," Williams told the ARU's website. "It was just that Aussie sense of humour and when I came over here I knew what she was on about. She's a good, old lady."
What's really funny is that Williams was already eligible to play for the Wallabies because of residency.

But why not keep the SBW story running for another day?

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html