Sonny Bill Williams plays debut game for Toronto Wolfpack
Sonny Bill Williams first league game in six years didn’t go to plan but the Toronto Wolfpack’s $10m man is looking on the bright side.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Sonny Bill Williams says it was great to be back playing rugby league in his first outing for his new transatlantic club the Toronto Wolfpack.
The cross code superstar was eased into the 13-man game in a fixture against Castleford Tigers at Headingley, Leeds.
The Wolfpack lost 28-10 in a tough first appearance in the English Super League after winning promotion into the UK competition.
Toronto coach Brian McDermott played it safe with Williams, the club’s star recruit on a two-year $10 million contract.
Williams said after the game he was starting to feel the pace of the game after playing his first rugby league match since he left the Sydney Roosters in 2014.
“It didn’t go to plan but at the end of the day, that’s the game of footy. You win some and you lose some. From a team point of view I am very disappointed but individually I’m just glad I got back out there and got a taste of it and started to get my rhythm. I’ve got something to work on, a good base,” he said.
“I am feeling really good. They were looking to play me for 20 or 30 minutes but I was feeling really good out there. It didn’t go our way but if I look at it from an individual point of view then I know I worked hard and if I continue to do that then the rest will come.”
Williams and McDermott have maintained the star player would hit his best form later in the season as the club aimed to fight either for playoffs or to avoid relegation.
“It’s a long season and I’m just happy to be here,” Williams said.
“We got outmuscled in the middle and if you don’t win those confrontations then the rest is an uphill battle. The boys will be hurting and we’ll go back to the drawing board and we’ll work hard. It’s never a mistake if you learn from it.”
McDermott said after the game that he did not expect miracles from Williams or his team in his first game.
“Some bloke who has had 30 odd world title fights who has been out of the game for a while doesn’t come straight back to that level,” he said.
“Even in boxing they have a couple of warm up fights and it’s going to take us a while to warm up.
“You can have as many whiteboard sessions and as many video sessions and as many warm up games as you want but you’ve got to face those big athletes and the speed of the ruck and that’s how you get used to it.”
Williams, whose wife Alana is pregnant with their fourth child, is expected to return to New Zealand for the birth in two weeks.
He has significantly boosted the profile of the club, which is owned by Australian mining magnate David Argyle.
Originally published as Sonny Bill Williams plays debut game for Toronto Wolfpack