Sonny Bill Williams staying with the Roosters after rejecting NZRU offer

Sonny Bill Williams is set to re-sign with Sydney Roosters after advising the New Zealand Rugby Union he would not be returning to the Chiefs next season.

Williams met Chiefs coach Dave Rennie, technical director Wayne Smith and NZRU general manager Neil Sorenson in Sydney on Thursday but has turned down their three year offer as he wants to stay with the Roosters.

Williams starred in the Roosters' 26-18 win over Manly in last weekend's grand final and won the club's player of the year award during the week.

The NZRU immediately announced the decision on their twitter account."Disappointing but we put our best foot forward, & in the end @SonnyBWilliams made his decision,” Sorensen said.

The Roosters confirmed that Williams has pledged his commitment to the club for next season.

The club anticipates that Williams will officially sign in mid-February 2014 for the remainder of the season on the same terms and conditions as his 2013 contract," a statement said.

"In the meantime, the Roosters extend their best wishes for a successful campaign to Williams and the other Sydney Roosters players representing their country at the upcoming World Cup and will be making no further comment.

Sorensen added: "We obviously worked pretty hard to bring Sonny home, and we have had some really good conversations with him. This is disappointing but we know we put our best foot forward, and in the end Sonny has made his decision.

"As we do with many players who leave New Zealand, we will continue to keep the lines of communication open with him about his playing career."

Rennie said: "While we are disappointed that Sonny won't be with us in 2014 now, we'll be keen to keep talking to him about future options."

It is understood that Williams has informed the Roosters he will return to them for the 2014 season and hopes to finalise a deal as soon as possible.

The news is a huge boost to the Roosters chances of becoming the first club to win back to back premierships since Brisbane in 1992-93 and comes just days after he decided to play for the Kiwis in the Rugby League World Cup.

Williams had put all negotiations on hold in the lead up to last Sunday night's grand final and was believed to be genuinelly torn between staying at the Roosters next season or returning to the Chiefs as part of a three year deal to play for the All Blacks in the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.

After deciding to play in the Rugby League World Cup, Williams wanted to resolve his future as soon as possible and met with the NZRU on Thursday to discuss their offer.

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