He doesn't have to, after all. All Blacks coach Steve Hansen had already received a dispensation for Williams to play in the USA and United Kingdom without the 29-year-old having to put on the Counties' kit.
And he has shown in the past a willingness to take time off to freshen body and mind (and also a propensity to change the latter when suddenly, and controversially, making himself available for the Kiwis).
If he does indeed sit on the bench for Counties for their match against Auckland at Pukekohe next Wednesday, it will be a testament to his closeness with the team's coach, his former teammate at Toulon.
Umaga played a big part in convincing Williams to give test rugby a go following his controversial move to France from the Canterbury Bulldogs. The former All Blacks captain gave Williams the jersey he wore in his final test for inspiration; Williams duly making the move back to New Zealand in 2010, where he played for Canterbury and the Crusaders - and the All Blacks - before moving to the Chiefs.
Umaga has also been a big supporter of Williams' boxing, and there are suggestions the code-swapper will take up the gloves again in the near future.
Umaga was ringside at Williams' fight when he won the New Zealand heavyweight title against Clarence Williams in 2012, and posted on his website afterwards: "Sonny is a great friend of mine and a phenomenal athlete. He has so much motivation, drive and dedication that he deserves all the success he gets. He is one of the hardest working athletes I know so I am rapt with how the fight went."
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, watching from Johannesburg, will probably feel heartened by Williams' willingness to play rugby, if not the boxing part of his plans. The big second-five is looming as a key part in Hansen's midfield equation for next year's World Cup. To hear that the 29-year-old is so keen to get back into the 15-man game having barely paused for breath following the Roosters' elimination from the finals is likely to be music to his ears.
It is also a boost for the national provincial competition, a once loved institution which is falling deeper into insignificance by the year.
Top players these days use it as only a rehabilitation device - witness Dan Carter's 40 minutes for Canterbury in their defeat to Southland on Sunday. He is likely to play 60 minutes in their next match against Tasman and if he gets through that isn't likely to be seen again in the competition again.
For Williams to want to play so soon after the rigours of the NRL is a credit to him, the work ethic that Umaga has written about, and Umaga himself.
- By Patrick McKendry of APNZ
