NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Rugby / All Blacks

Kris Shannon: Why Sonny Bill Williams is our greatest sports star

Kris Shannon
By Kris Shannon
Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·
30 Jun, 2017 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Sonny Bill Williams signs autographs at the captain's run at Westpac Stadium yesterday. The way he conducts himself off the pitch adds to his mana. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Sonny Bill Williams signs autographs at the captain's run at Westpac Stadium yesterday. The way he conducts himself off the pitch adds to his mana. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Any objective sports journalist will say they cheer not for players and teams but for the story.

And that's certainly true for this correspondent, who in the past week has rooted for the Lions to beat the All Blacks, purely for the sake of the series, and for Oracle to threaten an America's Cup comeback, purely for comedic purposes.

But now those high crimes have been confessed, I must additionally admit one contravention to the basic journalistic tenet of impartiality: I always cheer for Sonny Bill Williams.

On the field, I cheer for the physicality with which he tackles and the flair with which he offloads.

Off the field, I applaud the fact he's a dedicated father, a devout Muslim, and an example of professionalism his teammates now follow.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

I love that he's unique, a point of difference in a sporting landscape featuring so many players who, while sure to show their personality in private, resemble mindless clones in public.

And I love that, in some quarters, he remains strangely unloved. While I'm far from alone as an SBW fan, his singular combination of qualities has made Williams the target of derision and sparked attempts to minimise his accomplishments, as New Zealanders are wont to do.

For all those accomplishments, the idea persists that he's a showpony, due to how often he finds the spotlight, or a renegade, due to the temerity he displayed following his sporting dream across codes.

Which means it's still contentious to say Williams is underrated. And it's still controversial to suggest he's the most talented athlete this country has produced in recent memory, a debate that in my mind is unarguable.

Setting aside his boxing ability -- the extent of which we'll never know -- becoming one of the world's best in two sports is an incredible achievement.

Discover more

All Blacks

Gatland goes for pace to catch out ABs

29 Jun 06:36 AM
Super Rugby

Marshall: Lions pack need to be more mobile

29 Jun 05:00 PM
All Blacks

Wilkinson backing Gatland's big gamble

29 Jun 07:47 PM
Sport|rugby

One test could decide future of Lions

30 Jun 12:08 AM

The codes of rugby and league may be closely aligned but there's a countless supply of failed converts to explain the difficulty of such a task.

Yet beyond his performances for the Kiwis and All Blacks, the main reason I cheer for Williams is his exploits outside the lines, the latest example coming after the All Blacks' win over the Lions last weekend, when he gave his shorts and socks to a young Lions fan in the stands.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Those selfless deeds can still make the cynical roll their eyes, suggesting Williams' chief talent is making every moment about himself, but away from the headline-grabbing incidents, his generous nature is captured on social media.

Instead of the meaningless platitudes that appear almost automatically generated on his peers' accounts, Williams' Twitter feed illustrates his affection for his fans, friends and, especially, family.

It also, notably when Ramadan ended last week, demonstrates the depths of his faith. Which again, is another aspect of his life that sets Williams apart.

More and more, though, his teammates have been following the lead of SBW, not with regards to religion but certainly his dedication to health.

Williams is notoriously discerning with what goes into his body, eschewing alcohol altogether and dabbling in many different methods to ensure he's as equipped as possible to handle the rigours of sport at the highest level.

His work ethic has clearly inspired those around him, with teammate Israel Dagg describing Williams as "the ultimate professional", and it goes some way to explaining how he's flourished in multiple codes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It also goes some way to explaining why Williams has attracted so many fans -- and a fair few detractors.

He's different in almost every move he makes and, while there will be dissenters, I think that's worth cheering for.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from All Blacks

All Blacks

All Blacks v France: All you need to know

02 Jul 07:32 PM
Premium
All Blacks

How Robertson plans to tackle year two with the All Blacks

02 Jul 06:01 PM
Premium
Opinion

Gregor Paul: How under-strength French squad cheats ABs out of meaningful contest

02 Jul 02:42 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from All Blacks

All Blacks v France: All you need to know

All Blacks v France: All you need to know

02 Jul 07:32 PM

All you need to know as Scott Robertson’s side take on France to open the 2025 season.

Premium
How Robertson plans to tackle year two with the All Blacks

How Robertson plans to tackle year two with the All Blacks

02 Jul 06:01 PM
Premium
Gregor Paul: How under-strength French squad cheats ABs out of meaningful contest

Gregor Paul: How under-strength French squad cheats ABs out of meaningful contest

02 Jul 02:42 AM
Newbies likely to make debut in All Blacks test in Dunedin

Newbies likely to make debut in All Blacks test in Dunedin

From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP