Sonny Bill Williams the greatest athlete All Blacks great has ever coached
Former All Blacks great Steve Hansen has coached the likes of Richie McCaw, Ma’a Nonu and Dan Carter so it’s a shock to hear him say this about returned Rooster Sonny Bill Williams.
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In a stunning tribute, former All Blacks coach, Sir Steve Hansen, has labelled returning NRL superstar Sonny Bill Williams “a freak” and the “best athlete I have coached.”
Hansen was talking exclusively to The Daily Telegraph ahead of Williams’ big return for the Sydney Roosters in Saturday night’s game against Canberra at GIO Stadium.
Williams and Hansen were together at the All Blacks for eight remarkable years.
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“The greatest rugby player I’ve coached was (Richie) McCaw but Sonny would be the best athlete I’ve coached from a pure athlete sense,” Hansen said. “He’s a freak of nature.”
Hansen, 61, stepped down as All Blacks coach after the 2019 World Cup having won 93 of 107 Tests for an incredible success rate of 87 per cent. That included 18 wins from 23 Tests against the Wallabies.
He also described Williams a “role model.”
“Sonny is 35 now but he’s been an active athlete for a long time and he really looks after himself. He’s a freak of nature,” Hansen said.
“There is no reason, as long as he stays injury-free, that he won’t do the job. He had been out of league for a while before coming back and going to Toronto, but he’s just such a good athlete.
“As he has got older, he has matured. His training habits and his off-field habits are world class now. He will be a good role model for the young ‘fellas’ in the club.”
Hansen was World Rugby coach of the year in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016 and New Zealand’s assistant coach for the 2011 World Cup triumph.
And right there alongside him – for all the glory – was Williams.
Hansen’s lasting memory was replacement Williams, two minutes into the second half of the 2015 World Cup final, offloading to Ma’a Nonu, who beat several Wallabies to score a try which gave New Zealand an unbeatable 21-3 lead.
Sonny Bill Williams would have been at the Bulldogs in 2008 if it wasn’t for a $1.275m Caringbah house. Khoder Nasser, Anthony Mundine and other key players exclusively reveal the incredible story behind the most infamous exit in rugby league history. https://t.co/ghyO6EZPGY
— The Daily Telegraph (@dailytelegraph) September 3, 2020
Asked for his memories of Williams, Hansen said: “They are all good ones. Probably the best moment was in ’15 (Rugby World Cup final) when we brought him on just after half time and he opened the game up for us against Australia.
“That is the sort of thing he can do, can’t he? He can do things other people can’t do.”
Hansen said he “keeps an eye” on the NRL and is likely watch Williams’ comeback match at GIO Stadium.
“There are a lot of similarities (between rugby league and union). You have that rushed defence and a shorter off-side line than we have so you can learn things from that,” he said.
“They are two different games but the fundamentals are the same.”
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Asked did he miss coaching, Hansen said: “The All Blacks haven’t had a game so I’ve been quite lucky to have the opportunity to get used to not coaching them without having to watch them.
“I’m sure there will be a tug in the old heart when they finally get out onto the track. But ‘Fossie’ (new coach Ian Foster) will do a great job with them I’m sure, and I’m really excited for him to take the team to the next level
“It will be exciting to watch.”
Hansen also coached the Wales national rugby union side and the Canterbury Crusaders.
THE WORLD WILL BE WATCHING SBW
Fox Sports and Kayo will attract booming ratings in Australia while the Sydney Roosters match against Canberra will also be shown throughout New Zealand, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, USA, Netherlands, Africa, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and the Cook Islands.
The former All Black’s appearance will spike ratings through global broadcasters Sky Sports, BeIn Sports, ESPN, TVWAN Action Digicel, Sky Pacific, Sport24, Fox Sports Asia and Pacific Nations. Overseas broadcasters are promoting Williams’ appearance.
Williams’ All Black success will ensure robust broadcast numbers in rugby union countries including New Zealand, South Africa, UK, Ireland and France.
Canberra’s contingent of Englishmen – George Williams, Ryan Sutton, John Bateman and Elliott Whitehead – will make game even more appetising for UK footy fans.
US-based media giant, Associated Press, carried a story this week which read: “Ex-New Zealand All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams is set to play in the National Rugby League for the first time since 2014.”
The New Zealand Herald has run multiple stories this week on Williams, as did Sky Sports in England. The English Daily Mirror confirmed “Williams is due to make his return for former club Sydney Roosters on a short-term deal this weekend.”
Stuff Ltd – New Zealand’s largest news website, reported: “Sonny Bill Williams is officially back in the NRL. A little over two weeks out of quarantine after the global COVID-19 pandemic ended the Toronto Wolfpack‘s English Super League season, the former All Black will come off the bench in the Roosters‘ grand final rematch against the Canberra Raiders on Saturday.”
PNG’s The National asked: “Will Sonny Bill Williams make a difference at the Sydney Roosters?”
The Taiwan News website reported: “Williams had been “included on the Sydney Roosters’ interchange bench for a grand final rematch against the Canberra Raiders on Saturday.”
Even the San Diego Union-Tribune reported: “Roosters pick Sonny Bill Williams for NRL comeback v Raiders.”
One TV executive said: “Europe will have a particular interest especially in the UK, Ireland and France, who love their rugby union. I estimate around 35 million could watch it across Europe.
“The figures in Australia and New Zealand will obviously be huge while Asia will also be strong. Sonny Bill is a massive name in Japan, which has a population of 125 million.
“The USA – with a population of 330 million – also has a small but hard core fan base for rugby league. Then throw in a free broadcast in PNG which has a population of nine million and I reckon a couple of hundred thousand throughout the Pacific nations.
“It’s difficult to predict but I think the final figure would be around 100 million.”
Williams’ return will be closely watched by rugby league and rugby union supporters in PNG, Fiji, Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga.
Fox Sports will have a dedicated camera on Williams throughout the game while former champion halfback Cooper Cronk will be positioned in the GIO Stadium grandstand for expert commentary.
Williams will come off the bench wearing jumper No. 17 and is expected to be thrust into the game about 10 minutes before the halftime interval.
NRL head of football Graham Annesley said: “Sonny Bill Williams has been regarded as one of the best footballers in the world over the past two decades and it is obviously fantastic that he is able to showcase those skills in the NRL.
“He’s one of the most recognisable athletes we have and having him appear in a rematch between last year’s grand finalists will be a great spectacle.
“He will bring a lot of attention to the sport which can only be a good thing.”
Originally published as Sonny Bill Williams the greatest athlete All Blacks great has ever coached