Is Sonny Bill Williams Really Worth the New Zealand Rugby Union's Effort?

He's been the most controversial figure in New Zealand rugby over the past 18 months. And now he's at it again. Sonny Bill Williams, the ex-rugby league superstar who turned his back on his team to take up a rugby union offer and went on to represent the All Blacks, is now possibly eying a return to the sport in which he made his name. 

To some, this may be seen as a blow to New Zealand rugby, while others will be glad to see him leave.

The past two years have seen the New Zealand Rugby Union go to all sorts of lengths to secure his signature, to ensure that he was available to represent the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup and beyond. 

But is he really worth all this effort?

It seemed as though he was already guaranteed a place in the All Blacks before having even played a game in New Zealand such was the amount of money thrown at him to come. And sure enough, after just one season for Canterbury in the ITM Cup, the name Sonny Bill Williams was read out in the 2010 All Blacks year-end tour squad.

Sure, he played well in his appearances for Canterbury, but ask yourself, how many others would you select for the All Blacks based upon a handful games at provincial level?

His first stint with the All Blacks was met with mixed results, a very good performance against Scotland was the only highlight amongst a few cameo performances that never really saw him feature.

2011 saw him play for the Crusaders in the Super 15, delivering some mixed performances once again. In general, the good outweighed the bad, and an All Black selection seemed to be justified based on his form.

Yet he was anonymous for most of the Tri-Nations, failing to bring the form that he showed earlier in the season.

And it began to come clear, when playing against the top teams, he isn't half the player he is against the rest. At provincial and Super level, he is a dangerous threat, taking the ball to the line and looking to offload, something he does very well. But at the top level, he seems to lose this ability, looking to pass on rather than create anything himself.

Many began to question his place on the team. But the selectors stayed loyal to him and he was chosen for the Rugby World Cup, although the role he would play in this was still unclear.

He was outstanding against Tonga and Japan, showing once again that he's capable of playing some great rugby against lesser opposition.

The next game saw him come up against a worthy opponent in France and was introduced midway through the game on the wing, a position he had played just once before.

He gave a good performance, and, if anything, looked better on the wing, where he was able to attack without having to think too much. 

He would give a passable performance against Canada in the final pool game, but did little in the knockout stages other than his memorable no-arm tackle that saw him sin-binned against Australia.

It was announced in late 2011 that he would play for the Chiefs in the 2012 Super 15, but had only signed a one-year deal. 

Now, there's talk from the Herald Sun he's looking at taking up a contract with the Sydney City Roosters in the NRL.

Now, ask yourself, is this really the sort of player that the New Zealand Rugby Union needs to be going to lengths to re-sign?

The fact that he's allowed to box during this time is a prime example of the extent to which the NZRFU are going to get their man. They have tried to justify the decision, but one wonders if it was Richie McCaw, Daniel Carter or Conrad Smith wanting to fight during the rugby season.

Would they be so lenient for them, too?

This being the same rugby union who had issues with Josh Kronfeld going surfing during the rugby season.

After initially wanting to sign him up for a longer length of time, Williams declined, being prepared to sign for only one year, saying he wanted to keep his options open. 

In other words, he wasn't prepared to commit himself and the idea of leaving to play overseas or to change codes was a very real possibility.

And there is the problem. 

He simply isn't committed. He walked out on the Bulldogs NRL club four years ago showing that he doesn't have a problem with breaking contracts. Now, he is only prepared to sign a one-year deal to play in a competition many New Zealanders would give anything to play in. 

For the past 18 months, this man has been an All Black, the holy grail in New Zealand sport that most of the country would die for. An All Black jersey is treated by those who get it as pure gold, the absolute ultimate prize you could ever wish to receive. 

Not Sonny Bill Williams, though. 

And as a fringe player for the All Blacks, it's not as if he's a must-have player. There's others around who could come in and fill his spot. In the midfield, Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith will reprise the starting roles while Richard Kahui, Robbie Fruean and Benson Stanley are all options as well.

On the wing, Cory Jane, Richard Kahui, Hosea Gear, Rene Ranger, Zac Guilford, Ben Smith and Sean Maitland are contenders amongst others. So it's not as if there's not cover.

So why play along with him?

If he's not committed to being an All Black, let him do what he wants to do. He's replaceable.

While he's no doubt a player of enormous potential, this potential can only be fulfilled if he is prepared to give commit 100 percent to rugby and do everything he can to get better. 

But that just doesn't seem to be the way he's thinking. If that's the case, the NZRFU would be much better off developing the thousands of other players they know will give their utmost loyalty to the All Black jersey.