VIDEO: Sonny Bill keen on tackling French
New Zealand may have lost a pivotal player in the build-up to the third and final Test against France, but they have regained a big trump card.
Injured All Black flyhalf Beauden Barrett has been ruled out of Saturday’s encounter in Dunedin, but centre Sonny Bill Williams is in line for his first appearance of the series.
Assistant coach Ian Foster said Tuesday that neither Barrett nor loose forward Vaea Fifita, who also received a head knock in the All Blacks’ 26-11 win in the second Test last weekend, would be considered.
Flank Liam Squire, who suffered a shoulder injury, was listed as an “unlikely” starter.
But on the positive side, Williams is in the frame after missing the first two Tests following knee surgery.
Foster said the selectors had held a “lively” conversation about the make-up of the dead rubber third Test side which will be released on Thursday.
“But we go in with a rough sketch as a selection group and we basically have an idea of where we are going. This has been a good one, sorting this one [team] out,” he said.
Playmaker Barrett was taken from the field in the 12th minute of the first Test and failed a concussion test after crashing head first to the ground following a mid-air collision with France fullback Benjamin Fall.
Fall was sent off, although a judicial panel later cleared him and erased the red card from his record, ruling his actions were neither deliberate nor reckless.
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Williams, meanwhile, was likely to be in the third Test line-up after making a quicker-than-expected recovery and being told at a meeting with coaches and medical staff that the surgery was a success.
Williams has joined the side for this week’s preparation and if picked will play his first Test match of the year following a disrupted year with the Blues.
The 30-year-old has barely featured for the Blues in Super Rugby with knee and shoulder injuries that have limited ‘SBW’ to just two games.
The latest setback resulted in keyhole knee surgery last month that was thought to sideline the cross-code superstar for six weeks.
Remarkably, it emerged late last week that Williams was recovering at rapid speed and the 45-test veteran was put through a vigorous training session with injured captain Kieran Read last Friday in Wellington.
He might be short on match fitness but Williams is confident he can step up to the required level.
“Those types of things are what I am going to have to deal with if I do get selected,” he said in an interview.
“But what’s the worst that can happen? Probably last year’s Bledisloe is the worst thing that can happen after I dropped the first three balls. But I’m still here and still smiling and still keen to give it a go.
“I’m just keen to get out there and if I do and that’s starting or off the bench or whatever, I’m going to have a crack, bro.”
With the doctors blessing, Williams explained the call came down to the All Blacks coaches.
“The coach turned to the doctor and said: ‘Well, is he a chance of playing in the third test, or being available for selection?’ And the doc said: ‘Yeah, but he has to come into camp’.
“So he looked at me and said ‘you’re in camp’.”
“I’m just keen to get out there and if I do and that’s starting or off the bench or whatever, I’m going to have a crack, bro.”
