Northland rugby fans were at times literally bowled over by the Sonny Bill Williams' show, which caused major congestion in the middle of Toll Stadium on Saturday after the game.
The former Bulldogs and Kiwi rugby league player demonstrated his star quality had not been diminished by his change of codes.
After
15 minutes of signing photographs and posing for pictures, Williams was still surrounded three or four deep by his fans and unable to move. He finally had to be escorted from the ground by security guards.
Williams was pretty flash on the field as well and had a hand in all three of Canterbury's tries. But he admitted he had made errors and still had a way to go.
The 25-year-old said there were positives and negatives to take, but he had a good environment in which to improve.
"It's awesome being in this environment with players like Robbie Fruean and Stephen Brett. There are players with the x-factor all over the place ... I think I learn the most when I get out there and I played 80 minutes tonight so that was good for me," he said.
"We're happy to get away with the win, it was wet and we couldn't play the game we wanted to and I know it's a cliche but full credit to the boys - the forwards really dug in, we were a man down out there for a while and we really had to tackle our hearts out so it was a good win."
"It's pretty crazy but it's always good to know you've got support. I'm from Auckland and Whangarei's not that far, I had to get 15 tickets for my family and there were a few more than that who came up from Auckland for the game," he said.
Despite the rain on Saturday, the game drew one of the best crowds of the season. Whether it was the drawing power of a good Northland team after they beat Southland last week, or a classy Canterbury or because of the Sonny Bill Show we may never know.
