Sonny Bill off to the land of the long white cloud eh? He was born and raised in NZ, his Grandmother was born in Australia, he is of Samoan decent, his Rugby League apprentice was served in Australia, his Rugby Union apprentice was served in France and now reportedly, he is about to play Rugby in NZ. Confused? His progression hasn't necessarily been a smooth one and his short career has been clouded in controversy. Mr Williams was famously caught with Candice Falzon in a toilet tryst at the Clovelly Hotel while having a girlfriend at the time and was also branded a deserter for breaking his contract early with the Bulldogs. Most people would have understood if he had waited until the end of the season but the fact that he left half way through and slipped 'out the back door' left a sour taste in most people's mouths.
There is no doubt he is a prodigious talent and he has proven at Toulon that he can play Rugby Union but his potential signing with the NZRFU is a massive punt that he can produce the goods. The other issue is that he is somewhat injury prone and given the short amount of time he has to prove himself before next year's World Cup could become a factor.
There has been a mixed reaction from the general public and while some say good on him for turning down the big dollars that Toulon were offering others are not convinced it's in NZ's best interests. There is no guarantee that he will in fact make the All Blacks because he will have to prove himself first but it's a lot of money to not have him represent his country.
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