All Blacks: Messam confident of switch to No 8

Liam Messam is ready to wear the No 8 jersey on Saturday. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Liam Messam may have played most of his season on the blindside flank for the Chiefs but he says it will not be a big adjustment to go back to the No 8 position on Saturday night.

Messam, 24, played in the No 6 jersey for most of the season for the Chiefs on the road to the Super 14 final, with Sione Lauaki filling the No 8 position for the Waikato-based franchise.

But it looks as though he will be off the back of the scrum come Saturday night at Carisbrook against the French.

He has plenty of experience wearing the No 8 jersey for both Waikato and the Chiefs.

"There is not a lot of adjustment. At the end of the game for the Chiefs I played at eight. There is just a bit more scrummaging that I have to work on," Messam said.

He played his only test last year against Scotland off the back of the scrum and it looks as if the same loose forward combination that run on to Murrayfield that day - Messam, Adam Thomson and Kieran Read - will take the field at Carisbrook.

Messam said he was enjoying being back in the All Black camp.

He was getting extra advice this week from injured All Black captain Richie McCaw.

"It's awesome for us loosies to have him [McCaw] there. We're pretty young as a group and he is helping out and giving us all his experience."

Messam will be looking for a big game this Saturday after an excellent Super 14 where he was one of the reasons the Chiefs went all the way to the final. He said he had recovered from the long trip back from South Africa after playing in the Super 14 final.

"I took it easy last week and feel good now."

He admitted training in the windy, cold conditions yesterday was not the best, but it was just a matter of getting out there and running around.

- OTAGO DAILY TIMES