No NPC for Sonny Bill
Sonny Bill Williams will not play any NPC rugby this year, but that will not stop him from being picked for the All Blacks' year-end tour.
The code-hopping star's Rugby League season almost came to a premature end on Friday, but a late comeback from his side the Sydney Roosters ensured that he will not be moving back to New Zealand and Rugby Union just yet.
New Zealand rugby boss Steve Tew had initially expressed hope that Williams would be available for the domestic competition, but Counties Manukau coach Tana Umaga does not expect him to play for his team this year.
"He isn't signed with us until next year and the All Blacks have already come out and said that he doesn't have to play in the ITM Cup," Umaga told Sunday News.
"He's already had a long season, he would probably look forward to a bit of rest and go into an All Blacks campaign, where if he wants to learn the game there's no better place," he added.
Umaga's side suffered their fourth defeat of the season against Canterbury on Friday, but Umaga was encouraged by the fighting spirit they showed against the table-toppers.
"I was happy with the effort, we put in a more consistent effort throughout the whole game," he said.
"In previous games it's been 20 minutes here or there and we've let the opposition run riot for 20 minute periods also.
"But against Canterbury we were consistently in the game, to a point where we can feel unlucky not to have scored some points when we were down their end and if some calls went our way it could have been a different story," he said.
Umaga is currently facing something of a crisis at flyhalf, which could see Williams' cousin Tim Nanai-Williams don the No.10 jersey.
"That could be our only option at this stage with two first-fives going down," he said.
"Tim covers first-five for us, so he might be put in there and we'll have to see who can back that up," he said.
