Rugby: Forget money, Sonny

Sonny Bill Williams is likely to make only a third of his current $600,000 a year if he returns to New Zealand. Photo / Herald on Sunday

There's no point in fretting about the detail around Sonny Bill Williams. It's the big picture that has to be cleared up.

For Williams to be available for next year's World Cup, he has a major philosophical decision to make. He has to ask himself how much sacrifice he's prepared to make to win a black jersey.

The pain will start in his wallet. He's a phenomenal athlete. He was a brilliant rugby league player and the poster boy of the NRL.

That was enough for Toulon, a club with deep pockets and a volatile owner, to offer him an estimated $600,000 a season. He won't get anywhere near that to come home.

Toulon are not the bastion of financial prudence, though.

Ambition has been allowed to distort good judgement and their wage bill is skyscraper high.

French club rugby does not practice restraint and Williams has been the beneficiary of the think big, spend big approach that is rife in the Top 14.

In almost two seasons, he has played just 19 games, switching between centre and wing, and recently he has been pushed into the back row in the final quarter. Currently sitting in fifth place, Toulon are content they have had value for money from Williams.

But the New Zealand Rugby Union are a different kettle of fish. They don't benefit from the largesse of a tycoon owner. They have a more defined system of financial accountability and they also have a treasured brand to protect.

Seen through the eyes of the NZRU, Williams is not a big-ticket item. He has enormous potential but he's unproven. He has no provincial nor Super Rugby experience. He has no test pedigree.

All he has is not quite two years at Toulon and, for that reason, he will have to take a significant pay cut to come here.

Last week, NZRU chief executive Steve Tew made it clear the national body won't massively extend itself to bring players home - even proven performers.

Part of this policy is being driven by previous overspending but it's also about testing the commitment of those who want to return. How much do they want it?

That is the most relevant question when it comes to Williams. Will he accept a retainer of $200,000 a season, which is about as good a deal as he can expect? Can his ego cope with the knockdown in status and price?

This was the dilemma Brad Thorn faced in 2001 when he quit the Broncos. He was a top-dollar senior star in Brisbane, earning in excess of $400,000 a season. Then he came to the Crusaders on a basic contract where he earned about a quarter of his NRL salary.

The move was not about money for Thorn - it was about chasing a childhood dream. He took the financial hit because he understood that's what it would take to become an All Black.

His perseverance, dedication and commitment have taken him to the top of his new code and the financial benefits have duly flowed.

Thorn had to suffer the indignity of being told by junior players how to execute basic skills. While Williams will not be a direct recruit from league, his rugby experience is so light, he'll have to accept, like Thorn, that he will be in the remedial group at times.

The All Black coaches have talked to him, seen videos of his work and will be advising the NZRU on what Williams might be worth, how he fits into their plans and what his career pathway might look like.

No one could seriously doubt Williams has the raw materials to become an All Black.

The only question is whether he now has the patience and commitment to start down a road that, for the first few miles at least, will not be paved with gold.