Rugby World Cup 2023: Tamaiti Williams 'scary' beginning to life with All Blacks

Fresh recruit Tamaiti Williams said one of his scariest moments when he joined the All Blacks ahead of the Rugby Championship was ensuring he wasn't late for the team bus.

Williams, who has played two tests this winter and was one of six props named in the 33-man squad for the World Cup in France, said that even before he made his test debut against the Springboks in Auckland last month, he had to overcome the anxiety of making a good impression on the All Blacks management.

That meant getting on the bus in time.

Although he was allocated a room in the hotel with fellow prop Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Williams was left on his own in the first week with the squad because his roomie had decided to sleep at home.

"My first night, because Ofa was from Auckland so he went home, and it was just me in my room,'' Williams told the Aotearoa Rugby Pod show on Sky Sport.

"Like my first day … I went to sleep early-as, early for me. Nine or something. I woke up at 12.30, 1.30, 4, 5. And we didn't have to be in the team room until 8.

"It was scary, man.''

The experienced Tu'ungafasi may have left Williams to fend for himself but when he was around he proved excellent company for the newbie.

"He could tell a story to a wall and the wall would love it, you know?'' Williams said. "He is a storyteller, I loved it.''

Williams has the potential to be a major asset for the All Blacks at the World Cup. Like Tu'ungafasi he can play on both sides of the scrum, but is arguably more mobile around the track.

That is despite Williams being considerably bigger than his team-mate. Listed at around 140kg, Williams is almost 20kg heavier than Tu'ungafasi.

He said a saying at the Crusaders - "your best ability is your availability'' - motivated him to spend more time on the bike in the gym, and helped prevent soft tissue injuries.

Injuries ripped a significant hole in the Crusaders team list, which forced Williams to keep playing in Super Rugby Pacific this season. Unlike the All Blacks, who had their appearances managed ahead of the World Cup, there were to be restrictions on how much Williams could play.

That proved a major bonus for him and the team. He proved his worth for the All Blacks when he came on as a replacement against the Springboks, and started against the Wallabies in Dunedin.

Crusaders hooker Codie Taylor also played a part in ensuring Williams focused on the quality of his trainings, and recovery.

"Guys like Codie Taylor, he's a nerd. He's doing cold showers, and I thought if I could just take a little bit of that, so when I am at training I will feel all good,'' Williams said.

By learning off Taylor, and being more diligent with his recovery sessions, Williams began to feel better at trainings and be more productive.

"I am lucky. He [Taylor] is huge for us,'' Williams said. "He had to play a pretty big role for us this year because of our injuries. We lost a lot of experience due to injuries in the front row.

"I kinda had to step up a little bit. He was my mentor. He was saying 'the best way you can lead is to lead yourself'.

"I had a good hard think to myself and what I could do for the team, because it was a tough year.''