Sonny Bill Williams returned to international rugby with two tries and an impressive performance

by Paul Cook –

‘He’s back!’ After two years honouring his word in rugby league, Sonny Bill Williams returned to rugby and to the All Black jersey in style at the weekend, his two tries capping off a fine all round display that helped his side to a dominant 74-6 victory over the USA Eagles at the iconic Soldier Field in Chicago.

Buoyed by a sellout 61,500 crowd, the world champions were the hottest ticket in town as American rugby fans clamoured for a glimpse of the cream of the crop while fans of other sports turned up to see what all the fuss was about.

They were quickly enthralled as the All Blacks gave a masterclass of counter attacking rugby, punishing almost every Eagles’ mistake with a try and showcasing their trademark handling skills, power and execution.

After dousing some early US fire, the score was only 12-6 after the first quarter of the match, the tourists put their foot down to build a 43-6 lead by half-time and went on with it in the second forty to finish with 12 tries and a confident platform from which to build on as they head to Europe for three huge tests against England, Scotland and Wales.

An iconic rutual in an iconic arena: The All Blacks perform the haka at Soldier Field

The All Blacks were on the board after only two minutes, a quick tap penalty catching the Eagles napping and hooker Nathan Harris crossing in the corner for his first in his nation’s colours. But to their credit, the USA regrouped and actually had the better of proceedings for the next 10 minutes, building plenty of phases and gaining territory at the right end of the field but just lacking that final pass to unlock the visitor’s defence.

A penalty from Adam Siddall was their only reward on the scoreboard but to be down only 5-3 as the clock ticked towards the first 15 minutes was nothing to be ashamed of. However, the All Blacks soon upped the ante with a couple more tries by the end of the first quarter, Cory Jane burning up the touchline to find the line and Patrick Tuipulotu backing up to go under the posts after some sharp offloading in the tackle opened up a gap.

Both tries sandwiched a second successful penalty from Siddall but for all their passion, effort and application, the chances of the Eagles constructing their first ever try against New Zealand still looked fanciful.

Sonny Bill soon got in on the act, hanging off the shoulder of another destructive surge from Israel Dagg to signal his return to the international rugby arena before Charles Piutau added a fifth, too quick down the left sideline as the All Blacks continued to cut a swathe with every counter attack.

It was 43-6 by half-time, pace, timing and a swivel of the hips enough for Sonny Bill to claim a second and Julian Savea coming off the bench to replace the injured Cory Jane to maintain his phenomenal try scoring record, dotting down off a flick pass from Kieran Read.

Dan Carter returned from injury with
three conversions and a try assist

Further tries from prop Joe Moody and flyhalf Aaron Cruden in the first 10 minutes after the restart opened up a 47pt lead as the All Blacks threatened to rack up a cricket score. They were simply too quick, too physical and to clinical for the Americans to handle.

Dan Carter replaced Aaron Cruden to make his return to international rugby after a year’s injury forced hiatus and despite throwing a forward pass with his first touch, the 100 test legend soon showed off his skill set, dissecting the Eagles’ line and putting Dagg away for a well deserved try.

Sam Cane profited from a couple of tired efforts from Eagles’ tacklers close to the line to side step his way over in the 65th minute and despite plenty of huff and puff from the home side, they spent the majority of the second stanza inside their own half, unable to produce their first ever five pointer against the All Blacks, an achievement that would have sent an appreciative Chicago crowd home that much happier.

A last minute rally with ball in hand offered one last chance for the Eagles to carve out their own slice of history but once again, an error under pressure came back to bite them as the All Blacks forced a turnover, shifted it wide and Savea went in for his second. Dan Carter’s conversion brought an end to proceedings with a final scoreline of 74-6.

Whether this event will kickstart an interest in rugby Stateside remains to be seen but it is the fastest growing sport in the country and with time and some greatly improved financial assistance, they certainly have the population to make serious inroads in the future. For now, the Eagles and their fans may reflect with disappointment at the lopsided nature of the result but cherish the fact that they were there the day the world champion All Blacks came to town.

New Zealand 74 (Sonny Bill Williams 2, Julian Savea 2, Nathan Harris, Cory Jane, Patrick Tuipulotu, Charles Piutau, Joe Moody, Aaron Cruden, Israel Dagg, Sam Cane tries; Aaron Cruden 4 cons, Dan Carter 3 cons) defeated USA Eagles 6 (Adam Siddall 2 pens) Crowd: 61,500