When Sonny Bill Williams flew out of Australia in secrecy to take up a deal with French rugby side Toulon, there was no more hated individual in sport.
He was branded a traitor and topped polls for the most unpopular person in the country. He was banned from the NRL and had to pay $750,000 to the Bulldogs to get out of his contract. Since then he has won two World Cups with the All Blacks, won a national boxing title, married, became a father and won an NRL title with the Roosters.
More than that, the sporting world has seen the person that SBW is. There have been small things that he has done in the public eye; his offer on Twitter to give World Cup tickets to refugees and, of course, the way he leapt to a young fan’s aid when he was tackled by a security guard and proceeded to give him his medal was seen by the world.
In the background to all of that SBW had made a decision to go to visit children in refugee camps in Lebanon. He was first shown vision of what children in those areas were enduring before the World Cup when he was given a virtual tour of the camp.
It doesn’t mention his conversion to islam, or the fact that he was a bit of a shit before it. One example of religion being a positive influence. He’s not a world changer but certainly someone I admire for doing stuff he doesn’t have to. High hopes for him after rugby.
