Former All Black flanker Jerry Collins told the Australian press to "lay off" Toulon team-mate Sonny Bill Williams, and said he has complete faith in the controversial rugby league convert.

Williams has been the focus of frenzied media attention on his first return to Australia since walking out on the Bulldogs - to join Toulon - at the beginning of the season. But Collins - who is leaving Toulon this summer to join the Ospreys - said it was time for press to cut his mate some slack. Both players are set to feature in a strong Barbarians outfit which will take on Australia in Sydney on Saturday, boosted by last weekend's 33-26 victory over England at Twickenham.

"You guys have just got to lay off him and not give him too much of a hard time," Collins said at a Barbarians press conference.

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Asked if he felt Williams was up for such a challenge less than a year after switching codes he replied: "He's up to it. He wouldn't be invited to come and play if he wasn't up to it."

He did, however, warn against raised expectations and said it would be up to his team-mates to help him shine. "He's an athlete and he's a great specimen of an athlete. Anyone who's an athlete can pick up things pretty fast. He's got those type of gifts that you can't teach - timing and that. In terms of rugby he's still learning the game and he's going to get better with time."

Australia coach Robbie Deans, meanwhile, said he expected Williams to put on a good show in what is likely to be a key confrontation in the centres with Stirling Mortlock.

"There's no doubt he will be on his mettle. Coming to the SFS with his background and history in Sydney, his history of league internationals and the amount of scrutiny that's going to be there, he's not going to come into this game with his guard down, so to speak," said Deans.

Fellow Barbarian Justin Marshall - who left Montpellier for Saracens midway through the season - has called for the Barbarians, or a World XV, to tour New Zealand and take on the All Blacks.

Marshall, who is one of 10 Kiwis in the touring squad, said the Barbarians were "giving the southern hemisphere something different, something they're not used to seeing".

And he added: "If that can progress to an expat team or a World team, I think it's great for rugby. It might be something that could be great in New Zealand; could the Barbarians, or a team like that, go there and play the All Blacks?"

The ex-All Blacks' scrum-half also insisted that the Barbarians were in Australia to win, not just to provide warm-up opposition for Australia's forthcoming internationals.

"The history of the Barbarians is expansive and entertaining... but much as we want to entertain and make it a spectacle, we also want to win," he stressed.

Back in France Midi Olympique is reporting that veteran Argentine scrum-half Agustin Pichot will not be extending his stay with Stade Francais. The international scrum-half joined as a 'medical joker' halfway through the season, but is not expected to sign a new deal.

The rugby newspaper also said that Top 14 Bourgoin would hear their fate on Friday following representations to the DNACG, the league's financial watchdog.

It reported that the 2,000,000 euro shortfall this season was expected to be signed off after local authorities and sponsors found the cash, but that next year's budget forecasts were causing concern and that the Top 14 club could yet find itself facing the possibility of enforced relegation. Dax, the team which finished 13th in the league, will be looking on closely.