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Home / Sport / Rugby / All Blacks

Dylan Cleaver: The Man delivers tweet musings on SBW's future

NZ Herald
26 Aug, 2011 05:30 PM3 mins to read

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SBW's days with the NZRU may be numbered if he repeats his fit of pique at being left off Canterbury's ITM cup team last year. Photo / Getty Images

SBW's days with the NZRU may be numbered if he repeats his fit of pique at being left off Canterbury's ITM cup team last year. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion

The Man has spoken.

More accurately, The Man has tweeted. And The Man is agitated.

(For those who still care about the dying art of spelling and grammar, please accept that the following pearls from Anthony Mundine come with a catch-all sic.)

"Why the hell ain't the all blacks playing SBW ... I think it's crazy???he one of the best if not the best backs in game!!!is there an agenda ???"

Hmmm, is there a chance The Man disagrees with Sonny Bill Williams' omission from Graham Henry's match-day 22 for the Tri-Nations decider?

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"Fans wanna see SBW?? and the centres now are both good but they ain't no Sonny ... seriously there is knowbody betta ... he revolutionized rugby"

Okay, The Man might be seriously put out now, but what's going to happen if the SBW snubs continue into rugby's greatest showpiece tournament?

"There gotta questions ask if he don't Start the world cup ... all the supporters that wanna see him speak up fo real"

That would seem an awfully dismissive appraisal of the talents of the incumbents, who have a combined 107 test caps between them and have rarely let their coach, nay, their country, down.

"Nonu and smith both class players but come on peeps they not on the same level as SBW ..."

Discover more

Opinion

Sonny Bill or Nonu?

25 Aug 08:56 PM
Rugby World Cup

All Blacks: Play SBW on wing - Kirwan

26 Aug 02:32 AM
All Blacks

All Blacks: Distracted Wallabies ripe for the picking

26 Aug 07:10 AM
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Rugby: Sopoaga's boot guides Wellington to victory

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At which point you have to give The Man credit for his insight. As it stands at the moment, Nonu and Smith aren't on the same level as Williams - they're on a higher level.

As Henry said: "He'll get his opportunity, [but] can he be better than the best No 12 in the world?"

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Smith and Nonu might not have the natural talent and unique skill-set, particularly when it comes to offloading, as Williams, but they're doing more to help their team win games than the former NRL star.

In terms of agonising selection decisions, it's not really even at the "dilemma" stage.

None of this need be particularly alarming. Mundine is as entitled to his opinion as the next person and while there are plenty who are suspicious of social media, Twitter remains a democratic forum for opinion and debate.

The worry is that Mundine has Williams' ear and the midfielder, whose contract negotiations with the New Zealand Rugby Union have been uncomfortably protracted, will start to believe he's been hard done by.

Yesterday it was revealed that when Rob Penney and Tabai Matson had the temerity to drop Williams during last year's ITM Cup, it resulted in a fraught discussion between Williams' manager Khoder Nasser and the Canterbury coaches at a suburban cafe.

The words "Sonny has never been dropped in his career" were overheard.

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Well, he certainly has been now.

"He's been outstanding in the group and we can't say any more," Henry said of Williams' attitude to his dumping, suggesting that even he has the ability to take the witterings of his closest confidantes with a pinch of sodium chloride.

When Williams starts fully believing Mundine's and Nasser's high opinion of him, that's when the love affair between Williams and the NZRU, and by association the All Blacks, will turn toxic.

When that happens, The Man will no doubt let us all know about it.

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