Ali's comic relief

Ali Williams shares a joke with Prince William in Auckland.

The first thing Ali Williams wants to make clear is that he is still a long way off being the player he feels he could be.

The second is that Comical Ali - his alter ego so fond of playing the clown - has not been killed off, he's just learned there is a right time and place for him to make an appearance.

You have to be wary not to gape rudely when you hear Williams talk now. He does so with a maturity and wisdom that never once hinted it had even a toe-hold in his system.

The clutter that was sloshing around in Williams' brain for most of last year has been turfed out. Now there is order. And with order there has come focus and, with focus, there has come the sort of world-class performances his natural talents always had the capacity to deliver.

The credit for this breakthrough ultimately belongs to Williams. But there have also been big contributions from a talented supporting cast, chiefly Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and psychologist Gilbert Enoka.

Hansen in particular has developed a knack of rehabilitating lost souls. As coach of Wales he transformed Gareth Thomas from the enfant terrible of Welsh rugby into their captain and guiding light.

He could have easily given up on Williams last year and written him off as a tragic waste of talent incapable of ever keeping the lights on upstairs for long enough to put in an 80-minute graft.

The coaches kept their faith, though, and Williams realised they were right. He needed to leave the glory boys to go in search of glory and focus solely on doing the donkey work. He also needed to follow the same preparation routine each week.

He says: "I haven't hit peak form yet. As you get older you realise you have to do things right every week otherwise it is going to stop. The thrill of playing and the excitement of being here for the first time has gone.

"You discover you are here because you want to be here. You are not here because you are a young fella and you are coming up the ranks. You are here because you want to prove yourself. I probably respect the whole rugby psyche more now.

"I have worked closely with Graham for a few years and he has realised what I have got, but he has always pushed me to show more and more.

"And Shag (Hansen), he's always on your case to get better and better, and to work on the little things.

"Sure, we play an expansive game but I want to be in the middle of the track doing the donkey work. There are other people who are better than me at the flashy stuff.

"I tried my hand there. It is not me. The difference between this team and a lot of others is that we have all come together from the head coach through to the baggage man, we have said there is no point doing this individually. We will put across a better image, be a better team and enjoy each other's company."

That better image the All Blacks are seeking drove Williams into his own process of re-assessment. He concluded he needed to create a more serious facade, restrict Comical Ali to private rather than public appearances.

For most of his early career, Williams' jovial personality was at odds with the position he played. There is an expectation that if you have your head down and your arse up, there shouldn't be too much to smile about.

"There was a time I doubted I should be the guy who was loud and outspoken," he says. "But I look back and think I can be myself but at the right time in the right place. One of the big things I have learned is that there is a right time and right place for everything.

"I probably used to show I enjoyed it a bit more. Now I keep my enjoyment under wraps so that if I am doing something that people think is silly, it doesn't look like I'm clowning around."

No-one in the Lions party, especially not Paul O'Connell, reckons Williams has been clowning around these past few weeks. All O'Connell has seen is a world-class opponent giving him a fairly memorable towelling.

Williams knows now it won't keep happening unless he makes it happen. "It is about each game. 2004 was pretty testing. My foot was sore and I couldn't get a medical clearance.

"These are the things that people don't see and they are bagging you for not playing as well as you can. But I have learned to block all that out.

"David Nucifora (Blues coach) told me that perception is reality and that has been at the back of my head.

"I was always one to say to the ref that I didn't think he was doing the best job. Now I look at myself and say 'what is the point?' I can't change what he does.

"I have stopped doing my talking on the field. I am realising this is what I want to do for a long time."

And now the rest of New Zealand hopes he will keep doing it for a long time.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY