Rugby: Four-match ban for Sonny Bill Williams as Lions take high road

Sonny Bill Williams at the judicial hearing. Photo / Getty

From the disappointment of last week to the high of a victory over the All Blacks on their home turf, Sonny Bill Williams' four-match suspension, and the prospect of a few days of R and R in Queenstown, life must feel pretty good for Warren Gatland right now.

The British and Irish Lions coach joked after watching his side level the series with their 24-21 victory in Wellington that his side would be skiing and getting up to all sorts here, but the truth is slightly more mundane.

He intends to take their minds off the game for a short while at least ahead of a potentially epic series decider at Eden Park on Saturday, and he will do so in the knowledge that his All Blacks counterpart Steve Hansen has a few issues to think about in terms of his midfield.

With Williams out after pleading guilty to his shoulder charge against Anthony Watson in the first half at Westpac Stadium, Hansen must decide whether to start with Malakai Fekitoa, Ngani Laumape, or Jack Goodhue against the Lions at Eden Park. Anton Lienert-Brown is likely to keep his place as the other midfielder.

Fekitoa, the Highlander unlucky not to make Hansen's squad in the first place and brought into the squad in the wake of Williams' judicial hearing, will be the favourite for the No12 jersey for his greater experience.

Laumape did well four days after playing the Lions for the Hurricanes, and is a possibility, but another bench spot might be considered a safer option.

Crusaders midfielder Goodhue, included in the squad at the start of the series as injury cover, has an exciting future, but a test debut in a series decider against the Lions must be considered a big roll of the dice.

Williams' act changed the nature of not only the test but also the series, and while he has the mental strength and maturity to bounce back from it, others younger and with less experience may not.

The 31-year-old's immediate future was decided after a two-and-a-half-hour hearing at New Zealand Rugby's Wellington headquarters, with Lions flanker Sean O'Brien following him in for a hearing of his own after being cited for making contact with Waisake Naholo's head in the final minutes.

Assisted by legal representative Steve Cottrell and assistant coach Ian Foster, Williams faced an all-Australian judiciary of Adam Casselden, David Croft, and John Langford, who decided that his actions were in the mid-range in terms of foul play.

Before leaving for a flight to Auckland, Williams said he was disappointed at his actions and that he felt he let the All Blacks down.

"Obviously I'm really disappointed but happy to be able to get in there and say my piece," Williams said afterwards. "They've come to the conclusion that it was reckless, that it wasn't intentional. I've got in contact with Anthony and I've apologised to him but I'm very disappointed that I was sent from the field last night and that I let my brothers down."

Earlier, coach Hansen said: "One of our biggest mantras is 'team first' and he knows he let the team down but we can't go back and change it either.

"People make mistakes. It's a fluid game, it's a fast game, it's a physical game and unfortunately he made a mistake and we've got to move on from it."