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Cape Town - A New Zealand scribe is puzzled by the behaviour of All Black midfielder Sonny Bill Williams, who gave away his Rugby World Cup winners’ medal to a young fan.
After the All Blacks’ 34-17 RWC final win over Australia at Twickenham last month, Williams gave his winners’ medal to a boy who was tackled by a security guard after storming on the pitch.
Williams said he felt sorry for the youngster.
"I was walking around doing a lap of honour with the boys and a young fella came running out and he got smoked by the security guard, like full on tackled him. I felt sorry for the little fella.
"If it was my little brother or a cousin, I would have given that security guard a hiding."
Williams later received a new medal from World Rugby at the post-tournament function.
However, John Roughan, writing a column on the New Zealand Herald website, has questioned the behaviour of Williams.
“Generosity normally bears some sort of proportionate relationship to the predicament of the recipient. If this boy was tragically disabled or had suffered some heart-rending misfortune I could understand an All Black being so moved as to give him something as precious as a World Cup winners' medal,” Roughan wrote.
“But to give it away for no reason at all suggests he really didn't want it. Strange. He is not alone among top sportsmen in having little interest in keeping memorabilia - but it is fairly unusual to give it away a moment after it has been draped around their neck. Insulting too. His team-mates might never say whether they found it insulting but as a fan, I did.
“It felt like a betrayal of our enthusiasm for their achievement and the exquisite agony of those early mornings on the couch.”
CLICK HERE to read the full column on the NZ Herald website.
