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DUBLIN - Ali Williams is in no mood to put his feet up, regardless of a painful ankle and other niggling reminders of an arduous rugby season.
The All Blacks' senior lock should be due for a break after Sunday's (NZT) test against the Irish here at Croke Park - his third match in a row.
Under Graham Henry's selection philosophy Williams, who played against Australia and Scotland, should be rested - or at least benched - for next weekend's clash with Wales.
Since the All Blacks began their six-match tour of Hong Kong, the UK and Ireland, Henry has reiterated his belief that test players cannot be expected to perform at their peak if they play more than three matches back-to-back.
But when naming his squad to play Ireland yesterday his stance seems to have softened - particularly in regard to Williams and hooker Keven Mealamu, whose workload has increased since Andrew Hore hobbled home from Hong Kong.
Henry would not rule out the experienced pair also being involved in Cardiff and again against England.
That was a potentially welcome development for Williams, who is embracing his workload in the second row despite managing a fragile ankle since the June test against England in Christchurch.
"It'll be awesome, I'd love to do it," he enthused.
"I'm very keen to play all five if that's the best thing for the team - and if not, I'm happy to see the team go out without me."
Indeed happy may not an entirely valid description as the 58-test veteran still considers himself sufficiently fit and fresh to play a full role after featuring in each of the All Blacks 12 tests this season.
"At this stage I feel comfortable. The ankle is slowly getting better though I feel I'm getting older this year," the 27-year-old joked.
Williams was instructed to bypass the remnants of the domestic season after the retention of the Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations' title so only had a trial game before boarding the plane to Hong Kong and the one-off test with the Wallabies.
Like the other so-called underdone members of the tour party, the break seems to have been beneficial.
A managed training regime and recovery will be crucial to nursing him through to Twickenham on November 29.
"From Saturday night through to Monday-Tuesday you have to do everything right in terms of recovery," Williams said.
"It can be really tough, you've still got to train completely. On the Tuesday you go up against each other and have a crack, so it's the end of Wednesday when you start to feel good."
Williams reported shoulder and knee pain on top of his tender ankle but shrugged off the discomfort by citing the example of inspirational locking partner Brad Thorn.
"You look at him and see anything's possible. He's 33 and he's a spring chicken."
- NZPA
