News

Williams confident on fitness

July 02 2008

All Black second row Ali Williams is confident that he will be fit to face South Africa in the opening game of the 2008 Tri-Nations in Wellington on Saturday.

Williams has been named in the starting XV but his selection is subject to a late fitness test on his injured ankle, although he is confident he will be fit to play.

With Richie McCaw already ruled out injured the All Blacks can ill afford to lose a player of Williams' stature. He has been improving his training load gradually throughout the week and is expected to take a full role in Thursday's session.

"I'm pretty confident I will be right but obviously I have got to get the clearance from the medical staff," Williams told Stuff.nz.

"From there we hopefully can run out but obviously if there is any doubt we will see what happens. There are a few medical terms about the whole thing but to me it is just sore, sore to run on things like that. Stability-wise it is not too bad which is a positive."

Williams revealed that the pain is worst when he is running at half-pace in warm-ups and drills that don't require him to be running flat out.

With Victor Matfield set to be his opposite man Williams is doing his all to be fit, especially given that the All Black line-out has not be too hot thus far and Williams wants to prove himself against the world's best.

And whilst many see the line-out as the work of the second row Williams was quick to remind us that it is an eight-man job.

"A line-out is all eight working together striving to get that perfect ball off the top or driven," he said.

"Their line-out is the best in the world, you just have to look at it. They're pretty effective.

"Line-outs are a lot about individual skills and once individuals have got their skills right it can work easier as a group."

For all the concern his absence at training has caused, Williams didn't think it would be a problem.

"I would have liked to have done it from the start of the week but I couldn't and I don't think that is going to have a major influence," he said.