Ruben Wiki: This Warrior is not ready for international retirement just yet

COMMENT

Even though my jaw is broken and I'm the captain, I won't be hard to replace for the Kiwis.

There's a lot of young, enthusiastic forwards there and they've got a lot more skills in the locker than I have.

But that doesn't mean I'm going to crawl into a cave somewhere and retire while the rest of the tribe carry on hunting and gathering.

Until that day I'll fight for my position in the team. I've been in the Kiwis 10 years and realise international retirement won't be too far away but I'll wait and see how I'm travelling. For now it's a matter of getting myself ready for the Warriors.

The jaw (broken in the test against France) isn't too serious. It's not wired up and I don't have to drink kava through a straw. Some of the boys are concerned that I can still talk as easily as ever. Chewing is the the only problem.

This Kiwi side has shown it can be competitive with the best, but we arguably have the potential to improve the most.

There's a pattern that we can address. The first half of both tests over here we were leading but we lost our way.

We're struggling for a stand-off but there's a lot of guys who are injured, like Benji Marshall, who'll fill that position.

Even though he spent some of his high-school years in Australia, I'm confident he'll be a Kiwi.

Having said that, Vinnie Anderson has been one of the top players on this tour at stand-off. He's like another forward and he's got a lot of skills.

I realise Australia looks as beatable as they've ever been but they can field any team and be right up there with the best. That's why they're rated No 1 in the world. There's so many good players over there.

It's been hard not having Stacey Jones, given that he's arguably the best halfback in the world.

When he retired from the Kiwis I rang him and showed my support. His retirement took me by surprise, but that's why he's the best player in New Zealand - no one knows what he's going to do next.


Fortunately we do have another superstar in the making in Sonny Bill Williams. He's hard, he's athletic, he's got skills, and he's only 19. To me he's in the Mark Graham mould.

I'm glad I got the chance to play alongside him. It's been a privilege.

He's a typical humble Kiwi boy. We're good like that. You can't forget where you came from. If I did that, my mum would slap me around the ears.

- THE HERALD ON SUNDAY