Hansen will be watching as Sonny Bill returns to face the Lions
WELLINGTON: All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams, pictured, safely came through training yesterday and will line up for the Auckland Blues against the British and Irish Lions today.
Williams has been sidelined with a knee injury and Blues coach Tana Umaga bracketed him with TJ Faiane in his team, pending the captain’s run at Eden Park.
“Sonny has come through really well,” Blues assistant coach Alistair Rogers told local media.
“When he cooled down last night he was feeling really good and he looked very fresh out there this morning.
“We’re pleased he’s in and look forward to seeing him go.”
Williams, twice a World Cup winner with New Zealand, will be just one of a handful of All Blacks in the Blues side, and gives the Lions backline a thorough test of the defence, not least from his ability to offload the ball from the tackle.
“The key thing for Sonny is he comes with a certain skillset and attributes and we want to see that, as long as it sticks within what we’re trying to achieve and the patterns we’re trying to play,” Rogers added.
“His communication is very good and brings a lot of comfort to those around him.”
A convert to Islam, Williams is fasting during daylight hours for the month of Ramadan but does not think it will hinder his effectiveness.
“Getting through the fieldbased footy is easy, and I just push back the weights until I break fast,” he told reporters.
“The first week is the toughest, but after that the body starts to get used to it.”
Williams’s fitness is good news for All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, who is expected to name the former rugby league international and heavyweight boxing champion in his squad for the Lions series tomorrow.
Hansen is juggling quite a lengthy injury list with Jerome Kaino, Kieran Read, Liam Squire, Ben Smith, Ryan Crotty and Dane Coles all sidelined by setbacks of varying seriousness.
Yesterday first-choice lock Brodie Retallick, who was ruled out of this week’s Super Rugby clash between the Chiefs and Hurricanes because of concussion symptoms, was added to that group. — Reuters