Sonny Bill Williams is easily the country's form second-five but All Blacks' coach Steve Hansen says it has taken three or four years for a player he describes as a "freak" to consistently perform after his switch from league.
At the All Blacks team announcement for the first test against Ireland at Eden Park on Saturday, Hansen mentioned the time it took for Brad Thorn to acclimatise to the game after switching codes.
The same could be said for Williams, he said.
"Brad Thorn took about four years to go from a converted player to understanding the game and we're seeing exactly the same thing happening with Sonny," he said. "[It has taken] three or four years - he has come to our game with a number of skills but he didn't know when to unlock them or when to use them. This season we're seeing a guy who is actually understanding the game and the role that he has in it. We know he's a freak and he can do whatever he wants with the ball. Having that understanding is making him go up three or four levels."
The player himself, who joined the Canterbury Bulldogs as a 19-year-old and controversially joined Toulon four years ago, said a lot of the credit for finding his niche in the game had to go to his coaches at the Chiefs.