Williams Toulon move sparks legal action
Top 14 big spenders Toulon are at the centre of another legal row after star Rugby League forward Sonny Bill Williams walked out of his contract with the Canterbury Bulldogs and boarded a plane for France over the weekend – prompting the Australian club to seek legal help.
Top 14 big spenders Toulon are at the centre of another legal row after star Rugby League forward Sonny Bill Williams walked out of his contract with the Canterbury Bulldogs and boarded a plane for France over the weekend – prompting the Australian club to seek legal help.
The high-profile New Zealand Test back-rower, who still has four years left on his contract, stunned club officials and fans alike when he caught a flight out of Sydney on Saturday. He is expected to sign for two years at Toulon for a fee reportedly in the region of 2 million Euros.
The Williams case follows on the heels of the Bakkies Botha saga. The Bulls hooker recently attempted to get out of his contract with the South African Super 14 franchise after signing a contract with Toulon. The Johannesburg Labour Court however rejected his a application to have his contract declared null and void.
Bulldogs chief executive Todd Greenberg said Williams' departure was completely unexpected after he had lunch with the 22-year-old on Thursday without any mention of the move being made.
Greenberg said he was involved in legal meetings on Monday to work out how best to protect the NRL club's big investment, saying his main priority was meeting with lawyers, not tracking down Williams.
“I'm not looking to make contact with Sonny at the moment, I'm looking to make contact with my legal people to make sure we get the best advice possible and we form a strategy around protecting our investment,” Greenberg told AAP.
“At the moment we're still looking at him coming back to honour the original concept, which is a five-year deal.
“Sonny Bill is in a contract, he has no get-out clause and he's basically walked out in the middle of a contract.
“You need to explore all avenues, we just need to make sure we go through all the opportunities to this club and the game to make sure people are expected to honour the commitment that they've signed.”
Toulon's president Mourad Boudjellal confirmed that the French club had spoken to Williams “some time ago” about a code switch, but denied the existence of any deal with the star who is said to not be happy at the Bulldogs.
Greenberg has expressed dismay over reports that the International Rugby Board had distanced itself from the stand-off, with the IRB saying it had no jurisdiction over club rugby.
“The club is entitled to take on whatever player they see fit,” IRB spokesperson Alison Hughes told The Daily Telegraph newspaper on Monday.
“Our jurisdiction is a player must make sure he is fit to play international rugby. The club contract is a very different animal.”