Sonny Bill Williams

Williams was suspended for four weeks for a charge on Lions wing Anthony Watson - it was hoped he would be able to serve the ban before the Rugby Championship.

RNZI reports World Rugby has confirmed the suspension is for four matches.

Since a hearing on July 2nd, World Rugby says the disciplinary committee had been receiving and reviewing additional submissions and evidence from the player's side relating to his upcoming schedule of matches.

Williams has already missed two matches owing to the ban, the deciding Lions test and the Blues' Super Rugby loss to the Sunwolves in Tokyo last weekend.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen told Radio Sport on Thursday that Williams will miss a Counties Manukau pre-season game and potentially a club match to serve out the ban handed down for the red card offence.

Hansen said the club game was a bit contentious over whether it qualified for the ban.

The cross-code star was sent off with just 25 minutes on the clock during Saturday's match, after catching Lions wing Anthony Watson flush on the head with a shoulder charge.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen confirmed Williams would plead guilty to a charge of unnecessary contact with the head when he faced a hearing at the New Zealand Rugby offices in Wellington on Sunday.

That hearing resulted in a four-week suspension being imposed on the centre, whose place in the All Blacks' squad for next weekend's decisive third Test has been taken by Malakai Fekitoa.

The star All Blacks midfielder became the first New Zealand player in 50 years to receive a red card, sent off by referee Jerome Garces in his side's 24-21 second-Test loss to the Lions in Wellington.

Williams was sent for an early shower in the 25th minute after a crunching shoulder charge that struck Lions winger Anthony Watson flush in the face.

After a period of discussion with his assistant referees and TMO George Ayoub, Garces said he was left with no choice but to brandish red.

Te'o leads the clashes between the cross-code converts 3-2, and holds the historical upper hand after landing a big shot last time they meet in the 2014 NRL preliminary final.

Prior to it being banned, Williams rose to fame on the back of his impeccable timing when laying on shoulder charges during his successful NRL career.

But last time out, Te'o got one back with an illegal shot of his own on Williams.

Three years on, the Kiwi-born midfielders are sure to again come to blows at Eden Park in the first test between the All Blacks and Lions on Saturday.

Perofeta made his Super Rugby debut for the side in Apia last week, coming off the bench in the second half.

Coach Tana Umaga said Perofeta's performance in that game earned him a spot in the squad named to face The Lions.

"It's an opportunity for Stevie to step up, we think that he's ready to do that, he has a lot of experience and support around him.

"His skill set belies his age, he could have been on tour with the under 20s but we kept him behind, we just want to make sure he keeps developing, and he's earned the right to start for us this week," Umaga said.

Sonny Bill Williams sported his newly-designed Blues jersey at Auckland's Eden Park tonight in his side's Super Rugby match against the Hurricanes.

The jersey was adorned with the Plunket logo stitched on to both sides of the collar.

New Zealand Rugby and the Blues this week to Williams' request to have advertising from BNZ and Investec removed from his jersey.

Williams raised eyebrows last week when he taped over the BNZ logo on the collar of his Blues jersey.

Williams covered up the BNZ logo on his blues jersey in their match against the Highlanders last weekend due to religious beliefs.

NZR and the Blues have now given him permission have the logos of two banks, BNZ and Investec, removed from his kit.

NZR General Manager of Rugby, Neil Sorenson, said conscientious objections have

been in the collective employment agreement for almost ten years.

The rugby superstar, who gave no warning of his actions as he appeared off the Blues bench last Saturday, is yet to explain his stance but if his intention was to draw attention to the issue, he has certainly achieved that.

The story has been followed closely in Australia and South Africa, the partnering countries to New Zealand in Super Rugby, but the issue has gone wider than that.

The Irish Times noted Williams' stance in their latest rugby wrap and drew an analogy with boxing legend Muhammad Ali in a piece headlined: SBW – Islam versus Banking.

A statement issued by the Blues this morning says they and New Zealand rugby have been in discussions with sponsors BNZ and will announce the outcome of those shortly.The statement said neither the Blues nor Williams will be making any comment prior to that.

Under their collective contract players can lodge conscientious objections to promoting finance, alcohol, tobacco, gambling companies and banks.