Williams gets tips from test veteran

As the Canterbury players drifted away from training yesterday, Sonny Bill Williams remained to heed some advice from Aaron Mauger, a bloke who has sponged up his share of experiences in the No. 12 jersey.

A 45-test veteran who left New Zealand after the 2007 World Cup, Mauger had hoped his dodgy back would allow him to return from Leicester and force his way into next year's All Blacks World Cup squad.

In wasn't to be; injuries prevailed, Mauger was forced to retire and no sooner had he tossed away his boots than the New Zealand Rugby Union got down to the serious business of signing Williams until the end of the World Cup.

So it seemed appropriate Mauger was around to pass on some of his knowledge to Williams as he prepared to make his first run-on start for Canterbury against Northland in Whangarei tomorrow afternoon.

With the All Blacks squad to be named late next month before the northern hemisphere tour, a trip head coach Graham Henry is no doubt eager for Williams to join, Mauger's input and any reports back to the national coaches will provide a valuable insight into the SBW project.

Williams was off-limits to the media yesterday but his midfield partner, Robbie Fruean, said Mauger had "been watching over us for the last couple of weeks and just trying to learn about us".

He added that Williams, who also came under the tutelage of Tana Umaga at Toulon, was not afraid to step forward at training.

"He is still trying to adjust to some of the rugby calls, so we are just letting him know what is going on and things like that. He is a player that likes to ask a lot of questions and learn a lot and a person that likes to give a bit of feedback as well."

With Ryan Crotty still nursing a foot injury, Williams will form surely one of the biggest midfield combinations in the NPC when he pairs up with Fruean at the Northland Events Centre.

Between them Williams and Fruean boast at least 210 kilograms of lean muscle mass, and their ability to set up targets over the advantage line should give Canterbury the momentum they seek to beat the Taniwha.

Fruean, who is listed at 1.9 metres and 104kg, about 1cm shorter and 4kg less than Williams, admitted this was the first time he had been paired with such a massive midfield partner.

With Corey Flynn, Owen Franks, Sam Whitelock and Colin Slade all in Sydney on All Blacks duty and Nasi Manu (ankle), Tu Umaga-Marshall (shoulder) and Crotty injured, Canterbury coach Rob Penney has again been forced to make changes for this match.

Add to this the turmoil inflicted upon the region by the earthquake and Penney and his management group have been forced to divide their time between being coaches and amateur psychologists as they attempt to gauge their players' mindsets.

"It has been really distracting and obviously a lot of peripheral issues have taken up a lot of emotional energy out of the group, so we will find out [tomorrow] how we have been able to deal with it and whether the boys have coped with it in positive way."

On the positive side, trainings have not been disrupted and no players will be unavailable.

- © Fairfax NZ News