2008/09 RC Toulon Home Rugby Shirt (Williams) #13 (L)

Condition: 9/10 Superb

Size: Adult Large (slim fitting)

Chest Measurement: 41-43 Inches / 104-109 CM

Manufacturer: Puma

Colour: Red, black trim

Material: Polyester

Seasons: 2008/2009

Player: Sonny Bill Williams

Patches: N/A

Official Puma Sport RC Toulonnaise home short sleeved rugby shirt from the 2008/09 season. Complete with #13 on the back of the shirt in original numbering.

The condition of this original rugby jersey is 9/10 - Superb (see photos).

In July 2008, after linking up with new manager Khoder Nasser, Williams left Australia to join the Tana Umaga coached French rugby union club Toulon. In his controversial mid-season exit from the NRL, Williams cited salary cap concerns for his move. In 2005 it had been suggested that the NRL's salary cap restrictions could prove problematic in trying to keep top-grade players in rugby league.

The Canterbury Bulldogs club officials and players were not notified of his departure until after Williams had already left for Europe using a Samoan passport. Williams was eighteen months into a five-year contract with the Bulldogs, and the dispute was only resolved when Toulon paid a transfer fee of around £300,000 (A$750,000). 

According to the Bulldogs CEO Todd Greenberg, Williams was "our best player [before he] walked out". The circumstances in which he left the Bulldogs created a media debate in Australia and New Zealand, and Williams was the subject of considerable criticism for a departure that was described as the greatest act of treachery in the game's history.