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‘A very talented athlete’: Sonny Bill’s sister Niall Williams switches codes

(Photo by Christopher Pike/Getty Images)

New Zealand rugby sevens star Niall Williams has followed brother Sonny Bill in hopping codes, joining Gold Coast for the upcoming NRLW season.

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Williams, 34, will join the Titans at the completion of the World Rugby Sevens Series next month as the NRLW’s 10 franchises continue assembling their 24-player rosters ahead of the May 24 deadline.

Williams was a member of the Black Ferns side that collected silver in rugby sevens at the 2016 Rio Olympics and followed up with gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

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A neck injury ruled her out of the Tokyo Olympics, but she was part of New Zealand’s bronze-medal side at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.

In rugby sevens, the versatile Williams plays either in the forwards or the backline. She has also captained New Zealand in touch football.

Williams’ brother Sonny Bill became a household name during his premiership-winning NRL career with Canterbury before switching to rugby union and realising his All Blacks dream.

Titans coach Karyn Murphy said Niall Williams was intent on forging her own legacy in rugby league.

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“Niall might have a famous surname but she is a very talented athlete in her own right with nearly 20 years of representative experience,” Murphy said.

“Niall will bring an incredible amount of experience and professionalism to our squad, and her extreme athletic ability, speed and agility is why she is a very versatile player that will make a valuable contribution to our team.”

The Titans endured a tough first season under Murphy in 2022, managing only one win and finishing bottom of the ladder.

Gold Coast will hope Williams’ leadership can help them turn the tide when the new season begins in July.

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“In extension to her playing ability, her values, passion and energy for the community aligns hand-in-hand with our club’s purpose and I’m so excited for Niall to reach new heights on and off the field with us here at the Titans,” Murphy said.

Shaylee Bent, Taliah Fuimaono and Kaitlyn Phillips are among the other players joining Gold Coast for their third NRLW campaign.

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H
Hellhound 17 minutes ago
France put World Cup pain behind them with unbeaten run in November

France is starting to look like they are finally over their WC headache, although they were lucky that NZ had a very bad game. The Argies as usual is one game good, the next bad. If they can sort that out and be more consistent, they could become contenders for the WC.


NZ, Argentina (if they are more consistent), and now the Wallabies too is in an upward curve (can they be consistent?), as well as Fiji(as inconsistent as Argentina) looks like possible contenders. The Boks will be as usual a huge threat to defend their title. Things are looking up for the South, so the North should rightfully beware of the Southern Hemisphere threat.


With the French looking dangerous, the English with their close runs (mostly a mindset problem) and the Scottish seems to be the NH main contenders. The Irish is good, but not excellent anymore. They are more overbearing and with their glory days mostly gone with old players hanging on by a thread, by 2027 if they don't start adding in the younger players, they won't make it past yet another WC Quarter final. The problem is that their youngsters, while good is nothing special.


That is just 8 teams without the Irish that can become real WC contenders. Lots of hickups to be sorted still for these teams, excluding the Boks to become a threat. Make no mistake, the top Tier is much closer than people realise and the 2027 WC will be a really great WC, possibly the best contended WC ever.

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