There might be a few more girls to watch Sonny Bill – if he plays ...

ARE the Chiefs playing catand-mouse games ahead of Saturday’s much-anticipated match against the Stormers?

Coach Dave Rennie yesterday finished almost every question about Sonny Bill Williams with “if we start him”. It had the media who gathered at the New Zealand team’s hotel giggling.

So, is it a case of a bit of mind games ahead of their clash against the Stormers at Newlands? Or is Rennie really thinking of not unleashing one of the world rugby’s most devastating attacking players on the table-topping Stormers?

We probably won’t know until Thursday night when they name their team. But as far the city’s rugby writers, the Stormers and Cape Town’s rugby-loving public are concerned, the dynamic Williams will start. In fact, he should actually be the first player on the team sheet.

“SBW” is probably one of the biggest drawcards in the game, a special player with special talents. And Rennie probably saw yesterday’s newspaper reports about how the Stormers plan to curb him and his offloads on Saturday afternoon.

“What the talk about Sonny Bill does, it creates space for other people,” Rennie told reporters yesterday.

“We want him to carry and apply a bit of pressure, but his ability to offload the ball to other people around him is a real weapon as well. You can’t just defend Sonny, you have got to defend others around him.

“It’s exciting from our point of view – if we decide to start him,” Rennie added.

Williams is back in the Chiefs’ tribe after a spell in Japan and a stint in rugby league. But having him back is a massive boost for the profile of Super Rugby, as well as the Chiefs’ title hopes.

“It’s massive for rugby to have Sonny Bill. He has a fair bit of influence as to how the game is played, mainly because he is a professional. But it’s great from a spectator point of view, and we have noticed that there are a few more young girls coming to the games.

“I think it’s real positive for the game. A lot of the media want to paint him as a real code hopper, but ultimately he sets goals and they are big challenges. But wherever he goes, he has a hell of an influence.”