4 days ago
'Body on the line' - Tamaiti Williams' surprise grand final recovery
Tamaiti Williams has made a surprise recovery from a knee injury and has been named to start for the Crusaders in their Super Rugby Pacific grand final against the Chiefs in Christchurch.
Williams suffered what is understood to be a minor meniscal injury in the Crusaders' qualifier victory over the Reds which forced him from the field and prevented him from playing in last weekend's hard-fought semifinal win over the Blues.
It is understood that All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson assumed that Williams was unlikely to be available for next month's three Tests against France.
The naming of the 24-year-old Williams in Saturday night's final has echoes of Sam Whitelock's comeback to play for the Crusaders in the final against the Chiefs in Hamilton in 2023 despite an Achilles injury.
Ian Foster, the then All Blacks head coach, did not expect Whitelock to play in what was his final match for the Crusaders two months before the start of the World Cup in France.
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Whitelock, however, was determined to run out one last time before he took up a contract with French club Pau. He was named player of the match in what was Robertson's final match in charge of the Crusaders but suffered soreness afterwards and had a limited involvement in the Rugby Championship the next month.
Williams, who made his Test debut under Foster in 2023, is at a very different stage of his career but his commitment to play is similar to Whitelock's.
Tamaiti Williams receives treatment on his knee injury during the Crusaders' win over the Reds. (Source: Getty)
In an interview with 1News this week, he said: 'I'd put my body on the line any day for this club and this group.'
Asked about his knee, Williams said: 'It's as good as it needs to be… I'm looking forward to it.'
There is no doubt that the return of the 145kg Williams is a huge boost for a Crusaders side who will be hoping to capitalise on their strong scrum to put the Chiefs under pressure in what are likely to be cold and wet conditions on Saturday.
The red and blacks earned five scrum penalties in their comfortable win over the Reds recently and had the Blues' pack in trouble in the set piece last weekend before they were forced to withstand a huge amount of pressure on their try-line at the end.
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Williams will line up alongside fellow All Blacks Codie Taylor and Fletcher Newell in what is a formidable front row.
The only change to the Crusaders' line up is the selection of Macca Springer on the left wing as a replacement for Chay Fihaki, who suffered a head injury in a high tackle late in the win over the Blues.
For Williams and the Crusaders, making it to the grand final after they missed out on the playoffs last year is a testament not only to their form and consistency but also their medical department.
Williams' quick recovery is a reflection of that.
'We're just stoked to be in a grand final,' he said. 'We didn't care who it was against. Full respect to them [Chiefs] – they've been leading and set the standard across the whole competition.'
The Chiefs, who comfortably beat the Brumbies 37-17 in their semifinal in Hamilton last weekend, have named an unchanged line up after fullback Shaun Stevenson was deemed to have recovered from his head injury suffered in the match.
Super Rugby Pacific grand final, kick-off 7.05pm at Apollo Projects Stadium on Saturday
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Crusaders: 1. Tamaiti Williams, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Fletcher Newell, 4. Scott Barrett, 5. Antonio Shalfoon, 6. Ethan Blackadder, 7. Tom Christie, 8. Christian Lio-Willie, 9. Noah Hotham, 10. Rivez Reihana, 11. Macca Springer, 12. David Havili (c), 13. Braydon Ennor, 14. Sevu Reece, 15. Will Jordan. Reserves: 16. George Bell, 17. George Bower, 18. Seb Calder, 19. Jamie Hannah, 20. Cullen Grace, 21. Kyle Preston, 22. James O'Connor, 23. Dallas McLeod.
Chiefs: 1. Ollie Norris, 2. Samisoni Taukei'aho, 3. George Dyer, 4. Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 5. Tupou Vaa'i, 6. Samipeni Finau, 7. Luke Jacobson (c), 8. Wallace Sititi, 9. Cortez Ratima, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Leroy Carter, 12. Quinn Tupaea, 13. Daniel Rona, 14. Emoni Narawa, 15. Shaun Stevenson. Reserves: 16. Brodie McAlister, 17. Aidan Ross, 18. Reuben O'Neill, 19. Jimmy Tupou, 20. Kaylum Boshier, 21. Xavier Roe, 22. Josh Jacomb, 23. Etene Nanai-Seturo.
