Why all the hate for SBW?

I'm with hatman - I don't "hate" SBW. I admire his physical skills, and one hears from people who claim to know him that he is a good bloke and a devout and very modest man. All the rest of us have to go on is his public performances and words. I think it is very likely that if he had played, by this stage 6-10 years of rugby union, he might very well have developed into one of the most devastating union backs of all time.

But he has only played union for two years. The lavish spending offer from Toulon perhaps says more about the club's owner than it necessarily does about SBW as a current union player. He pretty clearly left France for NZ because of sporting ambition (and perhaps he did not find France a congenial place to live off the field - it is not so easy to live there unless one's language skills are pretty good, in my experience).

What concerns me - as an ABs supporter - about SBW is that he acts (in my opinion) immaturely. The whole boxing thing; breaching his League contract (sure there are some sorry cases in League, but we're talking about just how *he* handled his legal commitment); his choices of manager and spokesman; back and forth on the future ... Compare his commitment to NZ rugby to, oh Richie McCaw's. And the honor roll looking backward would go on for many, many lines.

I am entirely OK with SBW as one of the RWC squad's centres. But on form, experience or intangibles, he's not the started as 12 or 13. So I;d say the selectors and the coaches have that about right. He'll get playing time, and I sincerely hope he plays very well.

Mark L

Ive met sonny many times and remember him as a 14 year old for M.A.Gs (Mt. Albert Grammar) as a skinny little white kid with big bushy hair who would completly K.O huge polynesian seniors with his shoulder charges and just bully the opposition. A truely amazing feat and really hes a top bloke. Anyways most kiwis dont hate sbw, kiwis are just annoyed because he said he was going to resign with the NZRU but now hes saying hes unsure and may have a change of hearts.

Also Aussies really hate sbw for walking out on the bulldogs and that year he was voted the most hated person in Australia even voted ahead of the bali bombers. Jamie Lyon did the exact same thing a year earlier and walked out on his contract to join the super league and nobody cared, 2 years later he was welcomed back into the nrl with open arms even from NRL's ceo david gallop. Sbw walked out on his contract an was fined est AUS$800,000. Anthony mundine payed for that fine and in return sbw boxed on mundines undercard hence how sbw got into boxing.

Sbw claimed to have walked out because of not making enough money in the nrl and said that the salary cap should be scrapped. He later said he left because clubs arent loyal to their senior players who clubs would cut at any time "like tony grimaldi".

I don't hate him I just think he is a hypocrite

I am an Aussie, and not a Bulldogs fan. However Sonny Bill criticised a few Bulldogs who came to my team (The Roosters), called them traitors and said he was going to be a Bulldog for life. I personally know the Bulldogs chairman George Peponis, and a few days before Sonny Bill walked out he said to George that his aim was to one day captain the Bulldogs. Then suddenly he went against everything he had been saying and appeared in Paris saying he wasn't been paid enough!

Shortly after he appeared on The Footy Show (an NRL show) for an interview. The guy kept contradicting himself. He first said he left because he wanted more money, then he said it wasn't about the money but he was doing it to stand up for players rights.

The guy is very talented, but also a complete prima donna who thinks he is the football Messiah or something.

Sonny Bill Williams Bulldogs

He's a DIK.