Ouch.
The competition for places in the All Blacks starting team is always intense, but one area which is even harder to break into the side is at centre. For much of the last five or six years, club-mates Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith have partnered each other in midfield, meaning even a freakish talent like Sonny Bill Williams has had to be content with a bit-part role.
But with a World Cup on the horizon, it looks like SBW has stepped up his assault on the number 13 jersey – literally.
The Chiefs played the Hurricanes in Super Rugby over the weekend and Williams delivered this humongous hit that dropped Smith.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=16&v=WsKbJlHQMbE
Williams has since been cited for foul play, likely because his shoulder made contact with the head of Smith. It will be interesting to see what the atmosphere is like among the duo when they get together for the truncated Rugby Championship next month.
