Inga Tuigamala: SBW can become a superstar in rugby

Sonny Bill Williams. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion

Graham Henry and his troops have done the right thing by going out and getting Sonny Bill Williams.

Sport needs its personalities - star factor, call it what you like - and Sonny Bill has that in spades.

Most of all though he's a phenomenal player, the type of athlete that comes along just a few times in any generation. We're talking a Jonah Lomu-type talent here, Michael Jones, John Kirwan, above the mere mortals.

There's no doubt he can make a successful transition. Given the right environment and the right tools, I am certain he will make a huge impact.

If I were Henry, I would be relishing the opportunity to work with him. He's the type of x-factor player that the All Blacks are in desperate need of ahead of next year's World Cup.

There has to be a degree of caution after what happened at the Bulldogs. I don't know the intricacies of what happened there, but it was unfortunate to see him walk out of his contract.

It must have been very serious for Williams to leave like that, but I still would have liked to have seen him sign for longer than 18 months with the NZRU.

Commitment is very hard to get out of young players and without trying to predict what will happen in the future, it's important the union gets the best out of this young man and he may have more to offer after the World Cup.

It would be good for Sonny Bill, too, to settle down and really carve out a world-class career.

Sport is more than just about having a profile, it's about being able to instil faith in people and one of the ways you can do that is through loyalty and credibility. It would be great if this was the last stop on the "Sonny Bill Roadshow".

Sonny Bill is an Aucklander and for that reason alone I would love to see him signed by Auckland and the Blues. He would be a perfect fit for those teams, but I see there is talk he will be at either Counties-Manukau or North Harbour in the national championship, and with the Crusaders in the Super 14.

He's clearly best suited to the centres, either at second five-eighths or one further out. I would use him at No 13 because the more space he has the better he will be. He'll be up against Conrad Smith but that's where I see his skill-set being best suited.

There's an argument he could be used in the loose forwards, but he's tall, lanky and deceptively quick and Henry would be wise to keep him out of the confrontational areas where his talent will be suffocated.

It's a big risk, a big punt, by the NZRU, but it's a chance to inject something totally different into the All Blacks.

* Inga Tuigamala played 19 tests for the All Blacks.