Sonny Bill Williams

Lore & Background

Williams began his career in rugby league, and has played as a second-row forward over eight seasons in three spells in the National Rugby League (NRL), with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters. He has won 12 caps for New Zealand (the Kiwis) and won the RLIF Awards for Rookie of the Year in 2004 and International Player of the Year in 2013. In 2020 he played for the Toronto Wolfpack in Super League, before moving to Sydney Roosters the same year. He first moved to rugby union in 2010 and played mainly as a centre for Toulon in France, Canterbury, Counties Manukau, the Crusaders, Chiefs and Blues in New Zealand and Panasonic Wild Knights in Japan. He won 58 caps for New Zealand (the All Blacks), and was part of the teams that won the 2011 and 2015 World Cups. He also played rugby sevens for New Zealand, competing in the 2015–16 World Rugby Sevens Series and the 2016 Olympics. He retired from both rugby codes in March 2021. Williams has boxed professionally eleven times in the heavyweight division. He was the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association (NZPBA) Heavyweight Champion and World Boxing Association (WBA) International Heavyweight Champion, but was stripped of these titles after failing to respond to challenges.

In Their Own Story

The rain slicked the turf of Eden Park as the 80th minute ticked away. The score was tight, the air thick with tension. Sonny Bill Williams stood at the breakdown, his eyes scanning the chaos. In a flash, he burst through the ruck, not with brute force alone, but with a deceptive change of pace that left defenders grasping at empty air. He weaved through the defense, the oval ball tucked tight against his chest, and dived over in the corner, the roar of the crowd drowning out the rain.

Reader's Guide

Sonny Bill Williams is a dual-code rugby international who played as a second-row forward in rugby league and mainly as a centre in rugby union. He debuted for the All Blacks in 2010, not at the 2011 World Cup. He did not score a try in the 2011 Rugby World Cup final. He won the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and 2015.

Did You Know?

• He is only the second person to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for the country in rugby league.
• He is one of only 44 players to have won the Rugby World Cup twice.
• He was the youngest player to ever sign with an NRL club when he joined the Bulldogs in 2002.
• He was stripped of his boxing titles after failing to respond to challenges.