Former cross-code rugby superstar and professional boxer Sonny Bill Williams has announced a surprising career shift that is sure to attract attention.
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Fun fact: His full name is actually Sonny William Williams, though it’s often shortened for simplicity and style.
Williams, who scored 13 tries in 58 appearances for the All Blacks and was the first Muslim to don the iconic black jersey, has taken on a new role at 38 years old.
Along with his South African wife Alana, he has become a food critic.The couple recently launched their TikTok channel, “foodiesinsydney,” where they have posted two videos so far, showcasing the best halal restaurants in Sydney.
In the first video, which boasts over 250,000 views, he showcases his cooking skills before diving into the proper reviews in episode two.
These eateries adhere to the dietary guidelines outlined in the Quran.
Sonny Bill Williams and Alana Raffie married in August 2013 after a brief four-week courtship, in line with Islamic tradition, despite not being in love at the time. They now have four children together.
Different allegiance:
“Cape Town is my second home,” said Williams, who married South African model Alana Raffie in 2013.
“Maybe one day my two boys might be playing in Green and Gold. They’ve told me that’s what they’d like.
“They love the Springboks.”
The current 36-man British & Irish Lions squad for 2025, according to the bookies
We found it intriguing to project a smaller squad based on the favored contenders according to bookmakers’ odds as of April19, 2024.
The Lions will play a New Zealand and Australia invitational XV as part of their nine-match tour down under in 2025.
The historic fixture in Adelaide will precede Test matches with the Wallabies in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
A sell-out at the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground would smash records for a Lions Test match.
The series finale will be played in front of more than 80,000 fans in Sydney’s Olympic Park.
The 2025 Lions tour fixtures in full
- Saturday 28 June: v Western Force, Optus Stadium, Perth
- Wednesday 2 July: v Queensland Reds, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Saturday 5 July: v New South Wales Waratahs, Allianz Stadium, Sydney
- Wednesday 9 July: v ACT Brumbies, GIO Stadium, Canberra
- Saturday 12 July: v Invitational Australia & NZ XV, Adelaide Oval
- Saturday 19 July: First Test, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Tuesday 22 July: v Melbourne Rebels, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
- Saturday 26 July: Second Test, Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Saturday 2 August: Third Test, Accor Stadium, Sydney
The bolded players in our proposed Lions squad represent the starting XV, according to current odds.
2025 BRITISH & IRISH LIONS SQUAD (36)
BACK-THREE (6)
- Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland) – 1/16
- James Lowe (Ireland) – 1/8
- Hugo Keenan (Ireland) – 1/5
- Tommy Freeman (England) – 4/9
- Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (England) – 8/11
- Mack Hansen (Ireland) – 2/1
CENTRE (4)
- Bundee Aki (Ireland) – 1/5
- Ollie Lawrence (England) – 1/4
- Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland) – 2/7
- Robbie Henshaw (Ireland) – 8/11
FLY-HALVES (3)
- George Ford (England) – 1/10
- Marcus Smith (England) – 8/15
- Finn Russell (Scotland) – 8/11