NRL appeal to IRB in Williams case
Australia's NRL have made a desperate plea to the International Rugby Board in an attempt to hold Toulon-bound Sonny Bill Williams to his contract with the Bulldogs.
Australia's NRL have made a desperate plea to the International Rugby Board in an attempt to hold Toulon-bound Sonny Bill Williams to his contract with the Bulldogs.
According to The Australian newspaper, NRL chief executive David Gallop sent an e-mail to IRB chief executive Mike Miller on Tuesday including a copy of Williams' five-year contract with the Bulldogs, as he pulls out all the stops to prevent the renegade Rugby League star from breaking his contract.
Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal has said that coach Tana Umaga was planning to meet Williams with a view to signing him this week, prompting Gallop's e-mail to the IRB.
But Gallop clings to hope that the IRB will come to his aid because Boudjellal has also claimed Toulon would be interested in signing Williams only if it had the blessing of rugby's governing body.
“It is clear given his current status that RCT (Rugby Club Toulonnais) is looking for the approval of the IRB to sign him,” Gallop says in the e-mail.
“I repeat my earlier request that the IRB take all available steps to ensure that the federation of rugby does not register any such contract between that club and Mr Williams.
“In light of this request and the fact that Mr Williams is to play, a contract by RCT would be the most flagrant interference with the contractual rights of the Bulldogs rugby league club.
“The IRB should urgently make it known that it does not authorise this contract and it condemns this action.”
Gallop has been keen to involve the IRB in the dispute since Williams left Australia last Saturday, reportedly to take up a lucrative two-year deal with the French club.
However, Miller has responded to NRL correspondence by attempting to distance the IRB from the fight.
“It appears from your letter that the precise contractual circumstances in relation to this matter have yet to be fully clarified,” Miller said.
“It would appear that based on the limited information, the issue is a private, contractual matter between the relevant parties.”
Williams' whereabouts remain unknown, with speculation he is in London awaiting the arrival of his New Zealand passport before moving to France. While Toulon are yet to confirm he has signed, his imminent arrival has been welcomed by officials and future team-mates.
His dramatic exit from the Bulldogs at the weekend continues to reverberate at the NRL and within its clubs. Legal representatives are attempting to present Williams with a subpoena to appear in a NSW court next Tuesday.