The boss of Sonny Bill Williams' new French rugby union club has refused to acknowledge an Australian court order banning his star recruit from playing.
The New Zealand international and Canterbury Bulldogs rugby league player made his rugby union debut with Toulon in the south of France overnight in defiance of a NSW Supreme Court injunction issued just hours earlier.
Club president Mourad Boujellal says neither Toulon nor Williams have been issued with any documents in relation to the injunction and there were no plans to comply with the ban.
Boujellal says he would only recognise a French court and only take orders from the International Rugby Board and the French Rugby Federation.
He adds the only problem might have been if the Bulldogs had asked for a release letter.
Boujellal says there's been no release letter asked at all and if there is no request for an exit letter, there is no recognition of a former contract.
Williams' debut on the wing got off to a shaky start, with him yellow carded in the third quarter for a shoulder charge in Toulon's 50-5 win over second tier team Carqueiranne-Hyeres in a pre-season friendly match.
