Offtopic/fun » but fully practiced with t

Sonny Bill Williams may have claimed rugbys top honours in the 15-man code but the thought of winning sevens gold at the Olympic Games in Rio gives him butterflies.The New Zealand star is a two-time World Cup winner and Super Rugby title holder in rugby union, has reached the peak in rugby league and is a belt-holder in national boxing. But he is still seeking the ultimate honour.To be able to say youre an Olympian and get a medal, thatd just be another level, Williams told ESPN. It would be unbelievable. I get butterflies just thinking about it. God willing it all works out.Williams is not your usual rugby player, let alone sportsman. He will be the headline attraction at the sevens but has been a polarising figure.There is a fine line between being seen as a sporting mercenary or as an exceptional athlete making the most of his or her potential in different disciplines.A brief history of Williams peripatetic sporting journey saw him start in rugby league before moving to union and Toulon in 2009 and back in 2013.His second shift to union came in time for the 2015 World Cup but during this time he also went undefeated in seven boxing bouts, adding the NZPBA and WBA heavyweight belts to his six titles rugby titles.The debate over whether Williams is a mercenary or genius has continued but watchers of rugby league and union cannot help feel a sense of awe at everything he has achieved. He has fallen into the sports genius category and making the sevens team could prove to be his greatest achievement yet.Sevens was announced as an Olympic sport in 2009, but as the Rio Games ticked closer, various stars of the 15-man scene started to wonder whether they could make the cut in the shorter form of the game.Figures such as Australias Quade Cooper and South Africas Bryan Habana tried and failed to win places in their squads. Former San Francisco 49ers running back Jarryd Hayne was omitted from Fijis party, while Williams All Blacks teammate Liam Messam was another who fell at the final hurdle.Reputations as world-class players in the 15-man code have meant little for the specialist shorter form of sevens but, on July 3, Williams was included in New Zealands Olympic squad.He played in the World Sevens Series, learned the trade and immersed himself in the sport. He had long looked destined for the Games squad and his selection points to wider ramifications for the sport.?New Zealand Sevens star Tim Mikkelson said Williams could do stuff that no one in the team is able to do, before adding he had also grown the game of rugby worldwide.Scott Curry, the captain, said Williams was fully committed to sevens but also brings a lot of exposure and publicity to rugby.The added-value does not sit easily with Williams. I try and not let that dictate my life, he said. I let my family and religion dictate that. Although Im not perfect, I know where my happy place is.I can veer off course but thats where I have to get back to. Thats what I try and focus on. Im a rugby player, this or that, but thats not my whole life. That doesnt dictate who I am. I know who I really am, what I stand for and try and get back to that.Centre StageWilliams was talking about his dreams of Rio de Janeiro in the surroundings of Chelsea Football Clubs Stamford Bridge stadium. The interview time with him had been cut; Williams would not, under any circumstances, be late for a team meeting.He is a man in demand but in his sporting sphere, the team comes before individual requirements; he does all he can to be a rugby everyman.Away from Williams profession and teammates, his life revolves around his family -- wife Alana and daughter Imaan -- and his Muslim faith.[Im happiest] when Im doing my five prayers, when Im around my family a lot and when that takes centre stage, Williams said.Religion, coupled with his passion for boxing, has led him to him idolise the great Muhammad Ali, who converted to Islam soon after triumphing at the 1960 Olympics.His faith [was inspiring] and I guess, though he didnt always say the right things, he always backed it up, Williams said. I appreciate that from an athlete. I can only imagine the scrutiny and amount of people that would want to see him fail. But he kept on trucking on.There was that fight against George Foreman where no one expected him to win, the odds were stacked against him but somehow he did. It showed the character of him, the man he was.It wasnt just about his mouth, he had something deep inside him that allowed him to go to those dark places and come out on top.Williams is a fascinating character who may not always be on message. Last year, he visited Lebanon on a trip with UNICEF and laid bare the brutality on Twitter, drawing criticism for posting pictures of dead children.Then there was the episode after the 2015 World Cup final when a boy was tackled by a security guard as he ran on to the field towards Williams during the All Blacks lap of honour. The man frequently known by his initials -- SBW -- responded by giving the pitch invader, 14-year-old Charlie Lines, his winners medal.The player whose confidence and code switching attracted attention has become a reluctant hero; his star can only glow brighter now if he guides New Zealand to gold at Rio.The OlympianThe mens side of the sevens competition starts on August 9 at the Deodoro Stadium. New Zealand kick off their pool stage campaign against Japan before facing Great Britain and Kenya.Fiji are the tournament favourites but New Zealand, among others, must fancy their chances of topping the podium too.The Olympics has the power to create stars and in the peer vacuum that is sport, current figures have been frequently compared to their predecessors.But rugby is yet to encounter anyone quite like Williams and that fact will be underscored when he has his first touch of the ball in Rio.When the Olympics are on when you are a youngster, the telly is on, all day every day. You see the competitors competing, he said. Its an awesome spectacle.From an athletes point of view, for me, there was no one bigger than Ali. Hes my man. He won a gold medal, he was an Olympian and it would be awesome to say I am an Olympian as well.Cheap Air Max 97 All Blue China . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Cheap Air Max 97 . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. http://www.cheapairmax97fromchina.com/ . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Cheap Air Max 97 All Gold China . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. Air Max 97 Cheap Womens . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday.FORT WORTH, Texas -- Former Cowboys special teams player C.J. Spillman has been convicted of sexual assault in a 2014 incident at a Dallas-area hotel.A Tarrant County jury deliberated less than two hours Thursday before returning the guilty verdict.Prosecution spokeswoman Samantha Jordan says the punishment phase will resume Friday morning, when Spillman could be sentenced to 2 to 20 years in prison.Grapevine police say a woman reported Spillman raped her Sept.dddddddddddd. 20 at the Gaylord Texan Resort, where he was staying. Testifying in his own defense Thursday, Spillman acknowledged having sex with the woman but insisted it was consensual.Spillman became a free agent in March 2015. ' ' '