Door open at the All Blacks despite SBW's Roosters switch

SONNY Bill Williams would not be lost to the All Blacks despite his expected switch to the NRL next year.

Sonny Bill

SONNY Bill Williams would not be lost to the All Blacks despite his expected switch to the NRL next year.

It can be revealed that while Williams will likely join the Roosters for the 2013 NRL season, he plans to return to rugby with a view to being part of New Zealand's World Cup defence in 2015 in England.

NZRU chief executive Steve Tew told the Daily Telegraph that Williams would be welcome back if he defects.

"We have a very positive relationship with Sonny Bill and his people," Tew said via text message. "We will respect whatever decision is made and all doors remain open."

That will be welcome news to Kiwi fans following Williams's phenomenal performance last Saturday in the All Blacks' 60-0 rout of Ireland.

While rugby supporters would prefer to see Williams remain in the 15-man code as he continues to carve out an impressive young international career, he is a ground-breaker who wants to excel in three different sports.

Williams's final appearance for the All Blacks before his defection is likely to be in the Rugby Championships.

It's understood he will miss New Zealand's European spring tour at the end of the year to have his sixth professional boxing bout in November, before taking up a 12-game, $1 million stint with Japanese rugby club Panasonic and then joining the Roosters in February.

The 26-year-old is rugby's best No.12 and showed off a creative passing game and set up a try with a grubber, while also scoring two himself, in his finest international performance thus far last Saturday in Hamilton.

Williams's effect on the code has been just as impressive; the recent IRB under-20 World Cup showed that his trademark offload has now become an often imitated skill among the world's best young players.

He is setting himself an incredible legacy for success across three sports, but he could also be denying himself the chance of becoming one of rugby's greatest ever players by pausing the momentum that he has developed over the past two years.Tew confirmed yesterday that Williams had made a decision on his future but that he is bound by request not to divulge it publicly until Williams himself announces his intentions.

"We've put our position on the table for Sonny Bill and (manager) Khoder (Nasser) has respected that," Tew told New Zealand reporters via conference call. "They've made whatever decision they've made in the full knowledge of what we could do and wanted to do."

"He has been one of the best people we've dealt with in that regard."