Nine and Stan today announced that international sporting icon Sonny Bill Williams has joined Nine’s Wide World of Sports family, across both the Rugby on Stan Sport, and NRL on Nine.
Boasting an unrivalled resume of being a two-time Rugby World Cup champion, multiple time Bledisloe Cup champion, two-time NRL champion, Super Rugby champion, and an undefeated heavyweight boxing champion – the man known simply as ‘SBW’ has proven to be one of the world’s greatest athletes in recent decades.
The deal will see Williams join the Stan Sport commentary team following the hugely successful launch of the Super Rugby AU and Aoteroa competitions on the add-on sport package, lining up alongside former Wallaby stars such as Tim Horan, Morgan Turinui and Drew Mitchell, and fellow All Blacks legend Andrew Mehrtens.
Being a dual-code superstar, Williams will also form part of the NRL on Nine team, lending his experience and knowledge across the season to the biggest games, alongside other legends of the sport such as Andrew Johns, Brad Fittler, Billy Slater and Johnathan Thurston.
Sonny Bill Williams said: “I’m honoured to have this opportunity to join the Stan Sport and Nine team. Before I decided to step into this space I just asked myself that simple question: is it going to be challenging? And the answer was an overwhelming yes.
“I know I represent a lot of young Polynesian boys and young Kiwi boys. We represent so much on the field. But when it comes to off the field, we’re not really in this space. So just being able to jump into that space and see how we go, that’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”
Brent Williams, Nine’s Director of Sport, said: “We’re thrilled to have a once-in-a-generation athlete in Sonny Bill Williams join the Wide World of Sports family. His achievements across multiple codes are unrivalled and make him the perfect addition to our Rugby coverage on Stan Sport and our NRL team on Nine.”
To hear exclusively from Williams on his new appointment and what his future holds, tune in to Rugby Heaven at 8:00pm AEDT next Tuesday night, March 16th exclusively on Stan Sport.
