News

Ali Williams to miss Tri-Nations

July 01 2009

All Black lock Ali Williams has been ruled out for the rest of the year after undergoing surgery on his damaged Achilles tendon.

Williams, 28, will miss four months of training, which means he will be back in time for the November Tests but will not have had any game time since April.

"Ali saw a specialist in Auckland yesterday and it was confirmed that he would require surgery on his right Achilles. He will be out of rugby for up to four months," All Blacks doctor Deb Robinson said Wednesday.

Williams has had an injury-hit year because of a niggling back injury and the Achilles tendon problem, which first struck in late March when he was playing for the Blues in the Super 14.

Meanwhile, Hurricanes lock Jason Eaton does not think he will be recalled to the All Blacks for the Tri-Nations in Williams' place, despite Steve Hansen's assertion that the team needed an "Eaton-like" lock-loose forward.

Eaton says he was told quite clearly by the selectors he was not up to it at the end of the Super 14, but he has been playing well for the Junior All Blacks in the Pacific Nations Cup.

"They might have had a change of heart if they're talking along those lines, but who knows what's going to happen," he said.