The Herald on SBW

The Herald editorial this morning praises the NZRU for its efforts to contract former leaguie Sonny Bill Williams - have a read of this:

Seldom does the New Zealand Rugby Union move with the subtlety and agility that it has displayed in the securing of Sonny Bill Williams for its depleted player ranks.

Up against the much bigger money offered by his French club Toulon, the union has wooed Williams without being able to commit absolutely to the one thing he most wants - a place in the All Blacks for the World Cup.

Quite how it has structured his contract and how incentive payments might work in his favour are not yet clear.

What is clear is that New Zealand rugby without trading All Black jerseys as bait will soon have another potential star for the year before D-Day on Labour Weekend 2011.

What is also clear is that Williams has shown that he does, truly, want to play for the All Blacks.

Turning down the Toulon millions is the greatest evidence of that.

We agree. The NZRU gets its fair share of criticism, much of which is richly deserved. But Steve Tew and co have done and excellent job in getting Williams to sign, even if it is only until the end of 2011 at this point.

The money which Toulon was offering is obscene. We don't blame players for contracting offshore when they have the opportunity to secure their futures financially. But doing so carries with it a consequence; you take yourself out of the All Black picture.

Williams has done the opposite, and all credit to him. On the face of it, his motives are sincere. Time will tell whether he scrubs up, and whether he emerges as a rugby union player with genuine international ability.

In the meantime, we've started to accept that a change in the NZRU's All Black eligibility criteria is inevitable, although we don't reckon that now is the right time. Any move to allow offshore players to be eligible for the All Blacks should be delayed until well afetr the 2011 World Cup, after which it is highly likely there will be an exodus of contarcted players. Let's let the dust settle on that first, before making the most significant change since the beginning of the professional era.