Sonny Bill Williams ruled out for up to nine months following Achilles injury
Rugby NewsWednesday, 10 August 2016 at 11:09
Sonny Bill Williams was taken to hospital from the Olympic rugby sevens
The centre will not be available for Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup series
Rugby Superstar Sonny Bill Williams will miss the All Blacks’ entire Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup series after being ruled out for up to nine months with an Achilles injury.
The highest-profile player in rugby's return to the Olympics after 92 years, Williams limped off with the injury after he took a crash ball into two defenders early in the second half and had to be assisted off the field.
After the match it was confirmed Williams Olympics campaign was over when it was confirmed he a suffered a partial rupture of his Achilles.
New Zealand Rugby union chief executive, Steve Tew, confirmed the worst on Wednesday morning.
“He has a partial rupture of his Achilles tendon, which means he will be out of rugby for six to nine months,” Tew told NZ’s Newstalk ZB Radio.
When Williams was helped off it helped "boost" the Japanese players who shocked New Zealand 14-12.
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"He's like a main weapon in the New Zealand team so that was our game plan, just try to stop him, especially in offloading." Japan back Lomano Lemeki said.
"Sonny Bill's a good player, no doubt. But we look at every player as a good player on the New Zealand team," he said.
Williams tweeted a message of support for the sevens team along with an image of him holding crutches.
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