Ali Williams may be about to play his first test rugby match since 2008 but the All Blacks lock is not getting ahead of himself when he takes the field against Fiji in Dunedin on Friday.
The 61-test veteran has his eyes set firmly on making the squad for the World Cup and sees the Carisbrook test as a stepping stone to achieving that goal, something that looked a distant dream last year.
A second serious Achilles injury in the space of a year had some questioning whether the 30-year-old could ever play at the top level again, but after coming through the Super 15 season with the Blues his comeback has been capped with a start at international level again.
"It's a reward for a lot of hard work but that's sort of half way up the mountain now. I've still got a lot of work to do so I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to do that.
"Once that jersey goes on the shoulders it'll be like it has never some off, but it means that I've got to do things that I haven't done in the past, which is exactly what I want," he said.
Williams, who will become the third most-capped New Zealand lock, will partner debutant Jarrad Hoeata in the second row and said the pair were in a similar position in the squad despite the gulf in experience between them.
"He's keen to pick everything up and the two of us have been running around asking the other boys questions because we haven't been in the environment. Between the two of us we'll just keep it simple and get out there and play."
Williams was itching to get back on the field after two weeks on the sidelines following the Blues' exit in the Super 15 semifinals .
"I just want to do my job, do the basics right, fit back in and add something to them. This is definitely a different game compared to Super 15," Williams said.
- NZPA
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