Chris Rattue: SBW compulsive viewing but Muliaina the real deal

Football diamonds come in many forms and in this case, all that glitters is not pure gold.

As the rugby press clamoured for any piece of the Sonny Bill Williams action, a far more valuable gem - Mils Muliaina - was being elevated to the All Black captaincy in New Zealand.

What contrasting stories involving New Zealand footballers, and a lesson in the different roads that careers can take.

Sporting rubber-neckers (hands up here) will watch in fascination as the wunderkind Williams, league's famous runaway, dons the Barbarians' colours against the Wallabies on Saturday night.

Williams is the sort of bloke who walks out on club and national teammates when they need him most. That he could happily spit on the hand that fed him and nonchalantly deceive his coach just so he could flounce about in the lap of Toulon luxury says everything about his character or lack of.

But there's no denying that this offloading freeloader, a bludger of highest order, has so much X-factor that he is compulsive viewing.

Even those of us who despise what he did to the struggling Bulldogs and World Cup-chasing Kiwis will watch his rugby progress in anticipation.

Sport thrives on such magnetism and hooray for that, because that's what it's all about. You don't have to like it to love watching it.

Somewhere along the line, you've even got to move on and forgive and forget Williams' boneheaded vanity.

His success, in terms of titles won, is far outweighed by the number of column inches he's inspired, though.

Sonny Bill isn't a character peculiar to the modern media age but he's certainly made for a world dominated by "reality" television, soap operas and TV shows where everyone gets to vote on what is good and bad.

As for Williams' rugby prospects, it is absolutely astounding - even by his tawdry standards - that his warm-up to a match against the Wallabies involved a pathetic piece of pugilism.

Williams wasn't in too much physical danger, given that his boxing opponent was a nightclub nonentity named Gary Gurr, a man so far down the boxing food chain that he didn't even qualify as a bum.

Gurr is to ringcraft what George Dubbya was to world peace, and Williams was unscathed.

But a half-hearted and distracted preparation to a major rugby match reveals that Williams hasn't really learned any lessons yet.

This boxing farce says everything about Williams, a sensational football talent who has turned into a clown.

It is also bordering on an insult that in the lead-up to Saturday night's match he should utter the name Stirling Mortlock, one of the great rugby warriors who has gladly stuck by his sport, his club and his country in years of stellar service.

I doubt if Williams, whose league strengths included a remarkable ability to stand tall and offload the ball whatever the tackling attention, will cope with the groundwork that all rugby players are now forced to undertake.

Can anyone really believe that this cut-and-run specialist will put in the graft to learn a difficult new code?

It would be lovely to see Mortlock get a big shot on the pretender, and smash him into his place. The pity is that Mortlock may no longer be in his prime.

Which brings us to Muliaina, a true footballer who is still on top of his game.

All Black captaincy has given us all a reminder of what a fabulous rugby player Muliaina continues to be.

They broke the fullback mould with this man, and he is virtually breaking new ground in captaining the All Blacks from the back.

Williams may grab the headlines with his joker antics but men like Muliaina are the real deal when it comes to building football teams.

It is not an exaggeration to claim that the fortunes of the Blues and Chiefs turned in opposite directions the day that Muliaina left the Auckland outfit for the Hamilton hopefuls.

Muliaina is as respected as any footballer in this land, or the rugby world, but the way he plays doesn't attract the sort of attention that might be his due.

There is an economy of movement, in his resolute defence or clever attack, which can obscure the quality of his performances. You can watch him game after game without spotting a mistake.

It's too early to say whether the job of captaincy will affect his test performances, but at least Muliaina will feel secure in knowing his remaining test days should not involve any emergency shifts at centre.

There are just about enough good body parts left between centres Richard Kahui and Conrad Smith to ensure Muliaina can complete his test career ensconced at fullback.

It's difficult to recall a top All Black fullback quite like Muliaina.

Many legends of the All Black game have filled the post, with glamour and mystique to burn.

George Nepia had an almost God-like status. Those who saw Bob Scott say there was never a better footballer and for good measure he kicked barefooted goals from halfway at practice. Then there was the booming presence of Don Clarke, just a notch below Colin Meads in status, a man of mystery who resided in South Africa.

Elegant John Gallagher. Nuggetty Fergie McCormack. And they only made one Christian Cullen. There's not a minimalist all-rounder of Muliaina's type among them.

Muliaina gives little away. On being given the microphone after the Chiefs' horrendous Super 14 final defeat against the Bulls, he immediately thanked the sponsors.

Excuse me if I snore...

Maybe this was Muliaina the pragmatist, and after all, we are in times of recession.

And this is the Muliaina style. There are no savage sidesteps or furious twists and turns but instead an instinct for the most economical way.

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Kevin Locke turned up just in time with his two-try opening burst for the Warriors. He's a talent for sure, a slippery eel in a pool full of sharks, but opponents have been warned. It's going to get harder for the Warrior whippet before it gets easier and if he stays on the wing, the little fella can expect a stream of crossfield bombs. But what a great start to what could be a fantastic career.

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A note on Stacey Jones. Graham Lowe got it dead right in his Herald column. Jones might not be quite the player he once was, and he is tending to operate away from opposing defensive lines. But the Warriors' attack plan has looked very limited during their slump. The hard-fought win over Wests Tigers was a great effort and vital under the circumstances. Wade McKinnon was superb on defence in the wet. I'm not convinced the corner has been turned though.

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What a fabulous lift for tennis, Robin Soderling's shock victory over Rafael Nadal at the French Open. Another Nadal march to victory on clay would have been a bore. As for his claim that Soderling isn't popular in the locker room ... the Swede can leave soggy towels on the floor and get gel on mirrors for all the rest of us care.

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This punter hasn't bothered watching any of the women's tennis from the French Open. Until they get the constant screaming out of the women's game, I'm giving it a miss.

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A new bat is available which makes it even better for batters in Twenty20 cricket, as if they need more help. It's just another good reason not to watch this slog-fest.

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Maybe the ball is in Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken's court. Julie Seymour is a remarkable athlete and it would be great if she could line up at the next netball world championships at the age of 40 if her form warranted it. Aitken wants players who can commit themselves for two more years and Seymour might be contemplating retirement from the Ferns. If Aitken believes Seymour is vital to the world title chances, she might have to work out a plan that takes into account the miles on Seymour's clock.