Rugby: Why Sonny Bill went up the hill

Sonny Bill Williams. Photo / Getty Images

Sonny Bill Williams should make his long-awaited debut in the ITM Cup next weekend - but he probably would have done it sooner had he been at a union other than Canterbury.

In his second game of rugby in New Zealand, Williams last night played 40 minutes for Metro in their 26-7 win over Country in the Auckland-Canterbury curtainraiser.

Canterbury coach Rob Penney has said he's taking a cautious approach with Williams because the 25-year-old is short of match fitness. There is merit to this argument, given Williams hasn't played top-level rugby since May. Knee and hamstring injuries have restricted his training.

But it's understood Penney isn't totally happy to have the player foisted on him, especially when he has good midfield cover with the likes of Stephen Brett, Ryan Crotty and Robbie Fruean. The inference is that he will pick Williams when he is ready; not when the NZRU, or anyone else, want him to play.

The problem is, people want to see the former Kiwis rugby league player in action. They want to see if Williams can make the difference at the World Cup.

Williams was left out of last weekend's side after recovering from his hamstring strain and headed to Mt Hutt instead where he had a brief flirtation with skiing, naively believing it wouldn't cause concern. He declined to front the media afterwards, believing it would inflame the situation.

"I pulled up well," Williams said after last night's game. "I felt it [the hamstring] a bit out there but it didn't get any worse. I had scans on it last week and they said it came up perfect. There's a little bit of pain but I just have to push through it. It's good to know I can do that.

"Hopefully I will get picked in the side next week. I feel ready. It was a good confidence booster out there. Hopefully Pens [Penney] and Tabs [assistant coach Tabai Matson], I have shown them enough.

"I am confident I can do a job if needed. I am just like everyone, I came back to New Zealand to see if I can match it with some of the best players in the world. I just want to see what I can do out there."

Penney is entitled to do what he wants. After all, he is coach and has delivered consecutive NPC titles. But the NZRU have invested considerable money in signing Williams and he needs game time if he is to join the All Blacks on the end-of-year tour. There is an argument Williams could have played a handful of minutes off the Canterbury bench last night rather than a meaningless curtainraiser. There is also an argument he could have suffered a recurrence of his injury playing at a higher level, which would have set him back further.

Penney said he wouldn't be influenced by public opinion. "Our first priority is what is in the best interests of the team and once we have dealt with that and if all the athletes are available, we deal with what's in the best interests of the athlete's needs. Up to this point, he's had a lot of needs that haven't allowed him to be in the selection frame. Given that he's feeling pretty well after his run today, he's certainly in line for selection next week."

Williams was good in most things he did last night for Metro. He scored two tries - one a 40m run when he swatted off a couple of defenders and the other from a set move when he burst through three tackles. He made a number of breaks, ran some good lines and produced a couple of excellent offloads.

He just needs to tidy up his ball security and decision-making around when to push the pass and when to take it in. He was clearly too good to be playing at that level.

The reasonable crowd at AMI Stadium would have been disappointed to see Williams dragged at halftime.

"You can't push injuries," he said. "It's been a disappointing start, coming back with the knee injury and then the hamstring. It's frustrating but at the same time I am happy they are doing what they're doing because I have been in situations before where I have pushed too hard too early, which set me back.

"It's not my decision. I'm the type of guy who just wants to get out there and do my best but you have to listen to your body.

"The lungs were burning after 20-25 minutes. I haven't been able to train every day and get that fitness but hopefully that will snowball now."