Is this the end for SBW?
All of a sudden 2019 is looking mighty like a World Cup too far for the fast fading Sonny Bill Williams. The multi-faceted sporting phenomenon who has proven himself a world-class rugby and rugby league player, and a useful enough boxer as a sideline pursuit, might well be staring down the barrel of the biggest challenge of his remarkable career.
It certainly looks that way. It may be that he is no longer good enough – not to mention durable enough – to merit a place in the All Blacks. He certainly has a lot to prove, and some hot competition to wade through, in 2019.
There is no other conclusion to draw after another disappointing, injury-enforced end to the season for one of the most talented athletes to have pulled on the famous black jersey. The SBW who lasted just a half-hour of the terrific Twickenham tussle at the weekend is a shadow of the Adonis who changed the game with his mix of long-limbed athleticism, strength, power and offloading of the highest calibre.
He has appeared in just five tests this year and gone the full 80 in just one of them (Australia in Yokohama). After damaging the AC joint in a shoulder against England, it is unlikely he will make it to six in the year’s finale against Italy.
And that has sort of become the norm in recent years. He has battled with his Achilles, knee, shoulder, wrist . . . you name it, he’s had to work through it over the past few seasons.
Williams might yet come again, shake off those persistent injuries that have applied the handbrake to his game, and find a second wind in a career that appears to have hit the slippery slope.
You would certainly not put it past him.
And you know his coach, Steve Hansen, will give him every chance. Loyalty is something they take very seriously in the All Blacks.
And Williams most certainly has earned the benefit of doubt over a career that has already netted two World Cup triumphs, as well as championship banners in both Super Rugby and the NRL.
But it is not going to be easy. In fact, it is going to be very, very difficult as the 33-year-old battles not just the undefeated Father Time, but a wave of dynamic young talented midfielders coming through the ranks of the New Zealand game.
Look, this is not a SBW troll column. The guy has been a class act as a rugby player, and is also setting a fine example as a maturing sports star taking important things such as family values, fatherhood, mental health and inclusiveness extremely seriously.
There is a lot to like about this fellow as he is now – comfortable in his own skin, content with his lot in life and willing to speak up on issues that he considers important.
But this juncture has to be a reality check for a fellow who is just not the force he once was. He has largely failed to make a significant impact on the rugby field this year, and he is up against others who most certainly are.
Part of it is that remarkable body that has made him such an influential sporting figure appears to be betraying him.
He plays a brutal sport that exacts a heavy toll. But he pays for it more than most. He breaks down more than most. And his lack of prolonged playing time has compromised his ability to find the rhythm and fluency in his game that he so desperately needs.
He just does not appear to be the player he once was. He lacks the dynamic thrust, the changes of pace, the brutish strength and the freakish playmaking ability of his repertoire in its prime. He looks increasingly like just another midfielder.
Like many All Blacks before him (Julian Savea, anybody?) he is finding out that matching the fitter, faster, motivated younger generation is a most difficult prospect.
Hansen has a ton of midfield options for 2019. Ryan Crotty is still performing, Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-brown and Ngani Laumape are all on top of their games. Matt Proctor is emerging fast. Rob Thompson looks good. Others will also press their claims as 2019 unfolds.
Williams has a lot to prove and plenty to think about over his offseason.
He must get himself in top shape, he must come through a full campaign with the Blues and he must perform. Most of all, he must earn the right to be part of the All Blacks squad that will chase a special piece of World Cup history in Japan.
It might be the biggest challenge of his life.