Ali Williams sees positives from Achilles injury

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Ali Williams believes his latest Achilles tendon injury can extend his career rather than end it and he has vowed to fight his way back, hoping to fulfil his World Cup dream.

The big Auckland and All Blacks lock broke his silence on the second injury to the same tendon that has ruined his Super 14 for a second consecutive year and even placed a question mark over his playing future.

Standing with the aid of crutches as the Blues named their opening side of the season, Williams believed six months was a workable target and believed he could return for Auckland in the Air New Zealand Cup.

"I'm going to put a few more years back on the end of my career. There's no way I'm finished, hell no. I'm keen as," Williams said.

Williams admitted it was hugely frustrating after sitting out most of last year with a similar problem.

"I was pumped to get into it, I was excited,  I was keen. So to have it cut short is pretty frustrating.

"But from the negative comes the positive. I don't know what it is yet but I will find it and move on. I'm not one to dwell on things ... it is what it is."

Williams said he had received plenty of support and felt he could take confidence from the way Dan Carter had fought back in six months from his ruptured Achilles last year.

"Dan is a very close friend of mine. We talk. He's given me a guarantee, the surgeon has given me a guarantee ... I'm full of guarantees now. I'll give you guys (the media) a guarantee -  I'll be back playing again.

"As you see, a lot of people have come back better and I don't see why I can't come back better, maybe even smarter."

Williams said his preseason had gone well and he had few problems before the injury hit out of the blue, three minutes into his first preseason match against the Chiefs and without a ball in sight.

"I was running back and running forward ... I thought someone had shot me with a shotgun. It was so loud I thought someone had kicked me. Me being me, I turned around to abuse someone and the re was no one to abuse so I knew exactly what had happened. It was just one of those freak accidents"

The rupture was different to the "rotting" Achilles that required surgery last year and the prognosis is that it gives Williams a better chance of a full recovery because of the clena nature of the snap.

"Maybe the positive is it happened now rather than further down the track. My dream is still alive and that is to play for the blues more, hopefully next year and be part of the All Blacks and that bigger dream which is the World Cup," he said.

Williams confirmed he was keen to help the Blues team out off the field.

"In terms of my immediate future I want to stay involved with the Blues. It may not be on the field this year but I will be helping the kids. I will verbally take them through the lessons I've learnt because I have learnt a few."

- © Fairfax NZ News