Sonny Bill Williams
New Zealand
player portrait
Full name Sonnywilliam Williams
Born August 3, 1985, Auckland
Current age 38 years 229 days
Major teams Barbarians, Blues, Canterbury, Chiefs, Counties Manukau, Crusaders, Toulon, New Zealand
Position Centre
Height 6 ft 6 in
Weight 244 lb

Test career
Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Won Lost Draw %
All Tests 2010-2019 58 42 16 65 13 0 0 0 52 5 1 90.51
Bledisloe Cup 2011-2019 9 8 1 10 2 0 0 0 7 2 0 77.77
IRB Rugby World Cup 2011-2019 19 7 12 30 6 0 0 0 18 1 0 94.73
The Rugby Championship 2011-2019 16 14 2 5 1 0 0 0 13 2 1 84.37

Career statistics
Test debut England v New Zealand at Twickenham, Nov 6, 2010 match details
Last Test New Zealand v Wales at Tokyo, Nov 1, 2019 match details
Test Statsguru Main menu | Career summary | Match list | Most points | Most tries | Tournament list
Profile

A World Cup winner with New Zealand in 2011, Sonny Bill Williams is one of the stars of the modern game having been lured to the 15-man code from rugby league in controversial circumstances in 2008.

The hugely talented centre caused a media storm when he walked out on NRL outfit the Canterbury Bulldogs to join ambitious French side Toulon having previously earned international honours with the New Zealand Kiwis. He started slowly in union but soon attracted the attention of the New Zealand Rugby Union who lured him back to the country of his birth in 2010 where he signed with Canterbury and the Crusaders.

Williams, who reportedly turned down the most lucrative deal in the history of professional rugby in favour of furthering his chances of becoming a dual international, was drafted into the All Blacks squad for their end of year tour despite having only played in the New Zealand provincial competition prior to his selection. He made his Test debut against England at Twickenham and followed it up with a Man of the Match performance against Scotland at Murrayfield.

An unprecedented clause in his NZRU contract allowed him to continue to pursue a boxing career alongside his union exploits and his third consecutive success in the ring preceded his Super Rugby bow with the Crusaders in 2011. He would return to the ring later in the year, as part of a fund-raising push following the devastating Christchurch earthquakes.

The Crusaders would be pipped to the Super Rugby crown by the Reds but Williams form saw him included in the All Blacks' squad for the 2011 Tri-Nations although he found himself with plenty to prove ahead of the World Cup later that year having been dropped for the title-decider won by Australia.

His chances to impress on the biggest stage were limited by the preferred midfield combination of Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith but he made three starts and scored four tries in the process. After lifting the World Cup, Williams announced he would join the Chiefs on a one-year deal but before the end of the 2012 campaign he announced he would be turning his back on New Zealand rugby in favour of a move to Japanese side Wild Knights with a return to rugby league reportedly in the pipeline for 2013.

Latest Articles
Sonny Bill Williams still has plenty to do to earn his Rio spot (Feb 4, 2016) Sonny Bill Williams to star at inaugural Sydney 7s tournament (Jan 31, 2016) Sonny Bill confident Sevens best yet to come (Jan 30, 2016) Sonny Bill Williams 'still got a lot to learn' about Sevens (Jan 25, 2016) Sonny Bill to make All Blacks Sevens debut on road to Rio Olympics (Jan 25, 2016) Sonny Bill Williams news and articles (277) »
Latest Photos
Feb 7, 2016
Thretton Palamo of the United States and Sonny Bill Williams of New Zealand scrummage
Thretton Palamo of the United States and Sonny Bill Williams of New Zealand scrummage
©  Getty Images
Feb 6, 2016
Sonny Bill Williams takes a breath
Sonny Bill Williams takes a breath
©  Getty Images
Jan 31, 2016
Sonny Bill Williams takes a selfie with fans after the 2016 Wellington 7s Cup final
Sonny Bill Williams takes a selfie with fans after the 2016 Wellington 7s Cup final
©  Getty Images
Jan 30, 2016
New Zealand's Sonny Bill Williams is tackled by three Blitzbok defenders during their Pool A
New Zealand's Sonny Bill Williams is tackled by three Blitzbok defenders during their Pool A
©  Getty Images
Sonny Bill Williams rugby photos (192) »

Live Sports

Communication error please reload the page.