Hansen Happy To Bide His Time With Williams

New Zealand coach Steve Hansen says Sonny Bill Williams only needs to prove his fitness to guarantee a World Cup spot. The All Blacks star remains on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury in late March and he had arthroscopic surgery.

Williams continues to be plagued by injury and questions are being asked about his participation in the tournament. Some fans believe the 33-year-old may struggle to compete in Japan, but Hansen says his fitness is the only doubt, with his ability never questioned.

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Hansen told reporters: “I understand why people would say he’s running out of time. But is he really? “He’s already proved himself. He’s played 51 Tests. That’s a lot of Test matches, that’s a lot of proving. “What we need to see is him getting back on the track.

Then we’ve got to ask ourselves is his fitness good enough for him to be selected in the team? “We play five Test matches before we have to name the World Cup team, so does he deserve the opportunity to show us whether he’s still good enough? “Of course he does because he’s played 50 Test matches.” Hansen said.

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