Rugby: Collins warns media to lay off Sonny Bill

Former All Black Jerry Collins says the media need to stop giving Sonny Bill Williams such a hard time. Photo / Getty Images

SYDNEY - Jerry Collins fixed the Australian reporter with an icy glare and made his feelings plain about his former Toulon rugby teammate Sonny Bill Williams.

"You guys have just got to lay off him and not give him too much of a hard time," he said.

The message was loud and clear: don't hassle my mate Sonny Bill, and let him do his thing.

Collins fronted a large media scrum at the Barbarians' first training session for their match against the Wallabies here on Saturday, and his former Kiwis league-playing compatriot was the hot topic.

Q: How will Sonny Bill go? "He'll go good mate. No worries, he'll be fine."

Q: Is he up to it? "He's up to it. He wouldn't be invited to come and play if he wasn't up to it."

Q: But isn't this a pretty big challenge for him? Cue the Collins death stare.

The former All Blacks hardman, now signed with Welsh club Ospreys, played alongside Williams in his rugby debut with Toulon last year.

Williams trained yesterday at centre for the Sydney Football Stadium match, and Collins warned against the public's expectations being too high.

"You're asking a guy who's played for seven months to come in and play like a veteran. The better we play as a team the better the individuals will go.

"He's an athlete and he's a great specimen of an athlete. Anyone who's an athlete can pick up things pretty fast. He's got those type of gifts that you can't teach, timing and that.

"In terms of rugby, he's still learning the game and he's going to get better with time."

Asked if Williams could press for All Blacks selection, Collins answered "yeah, pretty much".

He hoped the Barbarians, with a tough forward pack and a sharp backline marshalled by returning All Blacks five-eighth Luke McAlister, would provide a platform.

"The idea is to get the ball and hold on to it. Obviously if we do a lot of tackling you won't see much from him."

Meanwhile, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans insisted their plans wouldn't focus solely on Williams and exploiting any perceived weaknesses he has in the 15-man code as he opposes home captain Stirling Mortlock.

"There's no doubt (Williams) will be on his mettle. Coming to the SFS with his background and history in Sydney, his history of league internationals and the amount of scrutiny that's going to be there, he's not going to come into this game with his guard down, so to speak," Deans said.

- NZPA