Brian McDermott insists Sonny Bill Williams has joined Toronto Wolfpack for all the right reasons after his sensational move to the club.
The Wolfpack head coach visited Williams in Japan during the Rugby Union World Cup, in which the 34-year-old was playing for the All Blacks.
While the financial lure, with SBW set to cash in a cool £2.6million per season during his two years with the Wolfpack, an inevitable enticement, McDermott believes Williams’ main drive is to help the Wolfpack with their ambitions on and off the pitch.
“We’re really excited,” McDermott said.
“This is brilliant news. It’s going to have a huge impact on Toronto Wolfpack for sure, it’s going to have a huge impact on rugby league in Canada and Toronto itself as a city.
“Clearly the guy comes almost with a brand within himself, a mega high-profile player.
“But I went out to Japan last week to meet Sonny Bill to make sure that he’s signing for the right reasons. He’s made some very sincere commitments to us. He’s coming to win trophies, he wants to win a trophy and be successful, as do we, we have this burning ambition to be successful ourselves.
“We’re just really excited and please that what we’ve got is one of the highest-profile sports stars in the world who has committed to us for two years.”
