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Jerry Collins joins Sonny Bill Williams at Barbarians Rugby

Prominent Rugby and Former NRL star Sonny-Bill Williams will now have a partner beside him in his Barbarians tour of Australia in the months ahead.

Today it was announced that SBW’s Toulon teammate Jerry Collins will also be invited to take part in the Barbarians Rugby Side to tour Australia and face the Wallabies.

Hardman and former Kiwi Allblack Collins was only 1 of the 3 other internationals that were picked for the Barbarians side – for the much anticipated clash in Australia.

The side will be coached by David Young from Wales and features the likes of Martin Corry and French rake Sebastien Bruno.

Talented and playing out of the backrow, Collins hasn’t played an international since the 2007 World Cup – soon after this he left the country to join good friend Tana Umaga, in the hope of greater success at the lowly ranked Toulon Rugby Club in France.

The former NRL star and Bulldogs walk-out – Williams has had his injury problems and taken some time to settle into rugby with Toulon which has ultimately seen coach Umaga forced out of retirement to join his troops on the Rugby field.

It’s a similar story to Collins for Pommy – Corry who also played his last Test at the 2007 World Cup, he was a member of the 2003 Cup winning team for England.

Bruno, under terms to English club Sale, has turned out for 20 Tests for France in the past decade of top line Rugby.

Toulon could extend Sonny Bill Williams stay

Toulon Rugby Boss Mourad Boudjellal has said that the French club is close to extending a new agreement to former NRL star Sonny Bill Williams in the near future.

After getting together on Monday earlier this week, Mourad and SBW’s agent (Khoder Nasser) have agreed to financial terms – but just need to sign on the dotted line regarding the length of the deal.

Surprisingly Sonny Bill Williams is still only 23 years old – and remains a popular figure within Rugby ranks worldwide. The former NRL player sparked a media frenzy last year when he walked out on a binding contract mid-season to switch codes. Hiding in Europe, it was left to SBW supporters in Australia to strike a deal – avoiding any legal action.

Rugby Club Toulon hopes Williams can stay for another 3 years, but it’s believed Sonny Bill only wants a 2 year deal. After being injured early on in his Toulon career, SBW has been improving and will be delighted to get an offer after initially fearing the move was a poor one.

The powerful Boudjellal is confident SBW will stay.

“Unless there is a huge offer from elsewhere, Sonny Bill Williams will stay at Toulon,” Boudjellal said.

“The meeting was positive and I hope the new deal will be signed next Monday.”

New Toulon sporting director Philippe Saint-Andre will help oversee the deal, Saint-Andrew believed to be a big part of player decisions moving forward.

Saint-Andre, only kicking off his senior position with the Toulon Rugby Club on July 1.

Toulon has started another strong recruitment drive for next season, with plenty of money to burn and improvement to be had.

Argentine internationals Felipe Contepomi (Leinster) and Juan Martin Fernandez-Lobbe (Sale), England’s Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle) and Joe El Abd (Bristol) and Scottish brothers Sean (Northampton) and Rory Lamont (Sale) are all on Toulon’s wish-list.

Toulon is struggling in a poor 11th place in the 14-team French Rugby Competition.

Coach and former All Black great Tana Umaga came out of retirement in February in a bid to save the side from relegation and Toulon currently is 5 points away from the relegation zone with 7 games remaining.

Sonny Bill Williams Boxing Debut

Controversial former NRL Rugby League player Sonny Bill Williams will apparently try his luck in the boxing ring, agreeing to join the undercard to Anthony Mundine’s next major fight night.

Apparently swayed by Mundine’s KO To Drugs promotion, Sonny Bill Williams will provide massive exposure for the event and will certainly put bums on seats. Reports suggested that Mundine had financially helped Sonny Bill in the past, so this could be a case of repaying the debt to his ‘brother’.

After agreeing to the stunt, SBW has apparently been working hard in a French boxing gym, to prepare for the event.

The now Rugby Union player made big headlines earlier this month when he agreed to play with the Rugby Barbarians side – returning to Australia to face the music and the Wallabies.

The Mundine fight night is a world title event, which will take play in May – with the opponent set to be Australias IBO middleweight champion Daniel Geale.

SBW’s involvement will certainly make this a massive event, PayTV sales will soar and apart from bums on seats – pubs and clubs around Australia will be jammed. Many will be hoping that Sonny Bill gets some curry served up to him, much in the same way Mundine has made an artform or making people dislike him. The move while frustrating has made the resident of St George a very rich man.

Williams took part in a previous Mundine KO to Drugs event last year;  the event also joined by infamous AFL man Ben Cousins and Olympian Nova Batman (nee Peris) to support the cause.

Things have been tricky for the man once crowned the King of Rugby League; Sonny Bill after moving to Toulon has incurred more injury woes. Injuries have always been his curse, not allowing him to achieve full potential. On top of that, consistently bad results have the pressure on him and coach Tana Umaga.

The Toulon Rugby side currently idling in 11th position in the Major 14 series and have 6 outings left before the season ends on May 16.

SBW – Australias Most Hated

What kind of impact will the return of Sonny Bill Williams have in Australia?

Sonny Bill Williams’ upcoming return to Australia for a Barbarians match has created massive media and fan interest in Australia. With most NRL (Rugby League) fans along with the extended community ‘hating’ on Sonny Bill for walking out on a contract, how much heat will he feel in his old town?

Two extreme sides have countered blow for blow this week in a debate that has clearly enraged the lucky nation.

Rightfully, some reckon they should just get over it but the other half of the 400 messages posted on the Daily Telegraph illustrate exactly why he is more hated than the Bali bombers.

Here is an extreme example, but I warn read with caution: (This was printed on the tvnz.co.nz website)

“I am a Bulldogs Fan to the death and i am willing to put up my 2004 signed grand-final bulldogs jersey for anybody willing to shoot SBW in the head. I will give an un-signed 1 for just a “body shot”, SBW is a dog and would sell out his own family for the right price.” – Christopher. J

Certainly a very scary prospect that people will even threaten this kind of thing; no doubt security at the Australian Rugby Union fixture will need to be extremely tight.

Sonny Bill in Barbarians Rugby Side

Sonny Bill Williams’s inclusion in the UK-based invitational side has raised the hackles of many in the league community, who haven’t forgotten the former Bulldogs star walking out on his club mid-contract last year to join French rugby club Toulon.

Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O’Neill happily agrees Williams would put “bums on seats”, though he denied the move was a publicity stunt or an insult to league.

Bulldogs counterpart Todd Greenberg disagreed, however, saying that sports fans had “long memories”.

Former league stars Tom Raudonikis and Steve Roach were less diplomatic, saying the game should be boycotted.

“All Sydney sports fans should boycott the event. I reckon it’s just a publicity stunt because the match is only three days after Origin I. I just don’t rate Williams as a person. I would hate to be alongside this bloke in the trenches.”

Roach added: “Only his family will go to the match. He has dudded everyone else. People won’t forget how he left the Bulldogs.”

Greenberg said that sports fans would be aware of Williams’s unsporting departure.

“The Australian public are discerning and perceptive,” he said. “I’ve no doubt they’ll judge SBW for the decision he made.”

O’Neill said there was no intention to insult the NRL or steal the limelight of its season or major events.

“Will he put bums on seats? I suspect he will. Would I be happy about that? Yes, I would,” O’Neill said.

“We weren’t involved whatsoever in his defection. It happened and it’s been settled legally, and he’s free to play. We’re keen to see him play, and if he adds to the lustre, so be it.”

Wallabies winger Lote Tuqiri, meanwhile, welcomed the news of Williams’s projected return to Australia.

“It’s great that he has the chance to come back and play in Australia,” Tuqiri said.

“I applaud him and applaud the organisers for getting him. He will certainly draw some attention to the occasion.”

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