All Black SBW at ease after winging it into Rugby World Cup

Unlocking the Sonny Bill Williams puzzle for the All Blacks was always going to be a headscratcher.

Was he a loose forward or a midfield back? Did he fit the starting needs for the All Blacks or was he tailor-made for an impact role?

Some of the discussions have narrowed. He is pigeon-holed for work in the backline, but the options there are multiple.

Even his sporting ideas and those of the All Black selectors may have broadened after several enforced stints on the wing in this World Cup.

Williams was subbed on there against Japan and France and made a strong statement. Those efforts may have flicked a switch inside his rugby computer while he eyes a start in midfield tomorrow against Canada.

There was a hint of Tana Umaga about Williams' work from the wing in Hamilton and Auckland.

Umaga had a grounding in league and when he made the All Blacks he spent almost 25 tests roaming on the flank before he shifted to centre.

Williams looked at ease on the flank and said the change had been comfortable.

"I don't mind the wing because you can do what you want on attack," he said. "You just have to work really hard if we get a turnover to get back into the back field, but on attack you can creep up anywhere for those inside balls and you can use your instincts.

This week had been about doing his midfield homework. He joked that centre partner and roommate Conrad Smith had been keeping him up to task on those issues.

Life in rugby and the All Blacks had been an enjoyably tough move.

"I've had to step out of my comfort zone and I think I adapted pretty well; it's good to know I can cover the wing as well," he said.

Rugby was almost instinctive after he'd played in France and then New Zealand.

A couple of times he found himself heading back 10m to get in a league defence line before he caught himself. Those moments were very rare, he said, and he was usually at ease on the rugby field.

Then the All Black coaches threw out another challenge.

"When they chucked me on the wing I was in the red a little bit," he said. "But the boys - being around them and the calibre of the boys in this team, and the way they helped me out was unbelievable.

"It's all good. You've just got to keep working hard because it's such a competitive environment.

"You need to keep playing well to keep that spot."

Repeated selection in the 22 meant regular chances to impress the selectors, he said. Any game time in any role was far better than sitting in his civvies in the grandstand.

Smith said his latest midfield partner was as dangerous as Ma'a Nonu, the hitman alongside whom he usually ran.

He thought the side was building well and France had been a great challenge compared with sides they played in 2007 pool games.

Canada would be passionate and robust and Smith expected another challenge with an afternoon start.

There was "nothing worse" than waiting for late-night kickoffs, he said, but a mid-afternoon match might just sneak up on a few players.

Williams said he'd find a television after the game to check the Warriors' fate in the NRL grand final. He picked them to win because the team's forwards and defence were strong.