He'll never be universally admired by the average New Zealand rugby fan, old Sonny Bill Williams.
He probably won't be called a great of the game, have his name listed among the legends in black or be offered a knighthood. He will never be exhibit A in the game's hallof fame and will get very little credit for helping the All Blacks to consecutive Rugby World Cup victories.
Nope. Instead he'll sit back and watch Richie McCaw be canonised, Steve Hansen beatified and the likes of Keven Mealamu, Dan Carter, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith and Tony Woodcock be hailed as heroes of the jersey. As they should. He'll enjoy watching that, and will no doubt agree each of them deserves the praise. But he'll probably get none.
He'll move on to the New Zealand sevens team and already there's talk about how he won't have the fitness for it, or the feel for the game. This despite the fact he seems to have had a pretty good feel for most everything else he has done - like winning grand finals for the Chiefs and Roosters and two World Cups for the All Blacks ... not to mention that boxing belt. Yeah, but who did he really have to fight? That's what they'll say.
They'll say it's all just self-promotion with Sonny Bill Williams. They'll say it's all about him with his tickets for Syrian refugees and his World Cup winner's medal giveaway. How selfish! Someone actually said this: "The fact he gave his medal away shows how little he cares about the game." Can you believe that? Of course you can. This is Sonny Bill we're talking about.
They'll say he was never a star at the Rugby World Cup, that Smith and Nonu were the starting midfielders and SBW was nothing but a bit-part player in the All Blacks masterpiece. They'll say that, despite the fact he changed the game every time he played; despite the fact he should be considered one of the great finishers ever to ride the pine; despite the fact his numbers tell a different story.
I won't bore you with those. When it comes to Sonny Bill Williams, there is little point offering tangible evidence of his contribution.
They'll say he only cares about his image, but I don't know what kind of image he's caring about when he is working harder than anyone in the gym behind closed doors, or on the training field behind the blacked-out wall. I don't know what kind of image he's caring about when he is spending week after week rehabbing a knee injury in Hamilton just to make it on to the field or poring over his game notes and generally just being a good human being.
It's hard to think of anyone in the history of New Zealand sport who has had a tougher time catching a break with the Average Joe Punter than Williams. I can't think of a single Kiwi athlete who has achieved so much yet been so cynically bashed at almost every turn. Half the problem is, there are very few parallels for what he has achieved. Maybe that's why so many people are still so hung up about breaking a league contract with a toxic club all those years ago.
But they need to move on. Williams deserves kudos for a Rugby World Cup in which he was happy to play his part for the side, and the image of him handing over his medal to that young kid defines the generosity of a man who has received very little generosity in return.
I spoke to Sonny Bill Williams on Monday morning, after the dust had settled and after he had been handed a second winner's medal, and after he had been given a standing ovation. I congratulated him on his victory.
Hardly the words of a self-centred narcissist. More like the words of a true team man. They are the words of someone who deserves a lot more credit than he gets.
