Quotes from Sonny Bill Williams

In rugby union, I was out wide kicking stones with the pretty boys.

Beforehand you think, 'Oh, changing nappies - I'm going to be up; I need to get sleep for training.' But when it happens, when you're there, as soon as you hear a wiggle or a cough or something, you're up straight away. It doesn't bother you.

Now I am just focusing on my daughter, my wife, religion, and training.

I think the reason I hadn't fought was just the aftermath of the Botha fight. You put so much into a fight, and people just talk about it like it was a bit of a farce or something.

I've got confidence that I'll be able to pick it up eventually, but that's the reason I'm a full-time Sevens player this year: because I knew coming into it that it would be really tough, and I've got to give it my all.

I had to work on the fundamentals of the game because in league, the position I played, it was just bash and crash.

One of my major goals off the field is to conduct myself in a way that... parents are proud to say, 'Oh yeah, look, he wants to be like Sonny Bill Williams.'

It's been a long while, but, thank God, now I've been able to get my mum a house.

When I first went to rugby, I wanted it all; I just wanted it all, and you know, I thought it was just going to happen just like that, but I've come to learn that good things take time.

People have goodness in their hearts.

I'm a lot more comfortable in the ring. I'm comfortable catching punches, and defensively, I feel like I've improved a lot. I am banking on my athleticism. I've worked hard on my footwork.

As a rugby player, you strive to be an All Black, win a World Cup, and win a Super Rugby title.

I've got to do everything extra to put myself in the best shape to get in the World Cup squad.

I just don't want to fail, to be honest.

How can I tell my daughter when she grows up to aspire to be what she wants to be if I am too scared to hop back in the ring because of what some people have said about me?

My biggest challenge for myself is to be the best father I can be and be the best husband I can be.

I guess I've always had a - not really thought of myself as this big star, big identity in the game.

I've had an amazing ride. I've been blessed beyond things that I could never have imagined.

You always have your knockers. There's always something wrong. But I'm happy. I think that I'm improving as a fighter; that's all I can ask for.

We're so lucky where we live, but we're so out of touch. Everyone's mindset is made to feel that refugees are a problem, but it's more than that. They're human beings, too. They were forced from their homes.

You always feel for your fellow players when they are going through tough times, losing and things like that.

Seeing my daughter for the first time after I came back from the tour was just a life-changing experience... it still blows my mind.

One thing I've learned over my career is that simplicity is the key: on the field, off as well.

I grew up as a Polynesian kid in the Polynesian community, and I was this skinny white kid.