Sonny Bill must lead All Blacks haka
Sonny Bill Williams is already a leader at the All Blacks, and at the Blues. At the Chiefs, Dave Rennie would have cloned him if he had the chance, not just for his offloads but his positive influence on younger players.
At the Rugby World Cup in 2015 his touching gesture with Springbok Jesse Kriel after the semifinal showed the All Blacks in their best light.
Now, the country must stand with him: rugby’s best response to the Christchurch shootings may be to have a man of Muslim faith lead the All Blacks’ haka.
There is a precedent for a change in the established running order.
For the last test of last year, against Italy, Kieran Read led the haka, with TJ Perenara at the front of the formation.
‘‘It was fairly big. For myself, it was something I wanted to do while I was in this position. It just seemed like the right opportunity. Hopefully, I did it justice,’’ Read said.
‘‘It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a number of years. It’s not about me there, it’s about the team and connection.’’
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said: ‘‘It’s a tremendous honour to lead it, and whilst it’s a tremendous honour, it’s also a tremendous responsibility because you’re not only representing the All Blacks, you’re representing the iwi which belongs to that haka, and all of our Ma¯ ori brothers and sisters.’’
Therefore it cannot have the hollow ring of tokenism. The correct protocol must be followed.
Yet, it would bring him together with one of New Zealand rugby’s great emerging leaders, Perenara, who worked with Read for weeks before the Italy test.
The symbolism of the pair working together would be a potent reply to the hate-filled ideologies that fuelled the alleged gunman.
Divide us? You achieved the opposite.
It is also an ask of Williams. Perhaps he does not want the responsibility.
On the one hand he is only a sportsman, a young Kiwi man trying to bring up his family as best he can. Who could blame him if he just wanted to shut the door and pull the blinds?
But now history may be asking more of him. There is no player in New Zealand who youngsters admire more.
The All Blacks play their first home test of the year against the Springboks in Wellington at the end of July, although that is not the occasion that comes to mind.
On September 7, in Hamilton, the All Blacks host Tonga. Hamilton is the city that so took Williams to its heart when he returned from Australia.
He will always be among whanau there.
Sonny Bill Williams, a Kiwi and Muslim, leading the All Blacks’ haka in Chiefs territory, with its strong Ma¯ ori connections, against a team from the Pacific Islands?
That is the New Zealand that the world should know about.