Sonny Bill’s amazing act of RWC kindness
It was one of those sporting moments that will resonate long in the memory.
Sonny Bill Williams and his All Blacks were enjoying a leisurely lap of honour after their 34-17 World Cup triumph over Australia at Twickenham when a young boy ran onto the field to soak up the win.
He was crash tackled by a security guard right in front of Williams and Nene Milner-Skudder, who informed the guard that the All Blacks could handle things from here.
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Williams put an arm around the youngster, 14-year-old Charlie Lines, made sure he was ok and posed for pictures.
What Williams did next will go down in sporting folklore.
He guided Charlie back to his family in the stands then, before rejoining his teammates, he took off his World Cup winners medal and put it round the boy’s neck.
While the rest of the world marvelled at how the 30-year-old could just give away something he had worked so hard for, Williams offered a simple explanation for his act of kindness.
“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,” Williams told New Zealand’s One News.
“I felt sorry for the little fella.
“If that was a younger brother or cousin I would have given the security guard a hiding.
“But I just picked the kid up and took him back to his old lady and tried to make the night more memorable for him.
“Better (for the medal) to be hanging around his neck than mine.
“The moment probably just got the better of him but he was just so excited to get on the field with the All Blacks.”
Charlie showed off the medal to the world’s media and was mobbed by other supporters.
Williams, who has a winners’ medal from 2011, said the incident will give the youngster a great story to tell.
“When he gets older he’ll be telling his kids things like that,” he said.
“He might be a future All Black.
“That’s more special than having it hanging up on my wall at home.”
But on Sunday night at the World Rugby’s awards ceremony in London, Williams was called on stage and presented with a second medal following requests from his New Zealand teammates and management.
In the end, both Charlie and Williams will have a World Cup medal hanging at home.
