Williams vows to return

New Zealand lock Ali Williams has vowed to play again, despite suffering a second Achilles tendon rupture.

The 28-year-old’s new injury occurred just three minutes into a Blues warm-up game against the Chiefs at the end of January.

Speaking at the Blues team announcement today, he said: “There’s no way I’m finished, hell no. I’m as keen as.”

Already targeting a return to rugby for Auckland in the Air New Zealand Cup starting in August, Williams, who is to have a support role with the Blues side, said tests had shown the second injury had been waiting to happen.

It was found after the second incident, which was unrelated to the first, that a bone spur was growing out of the bottom of his heel which was pushing on the tendon.

“The bone spur is gone, I got rid of him,” he said.

“My dream is still alive, which is obviously to play for the Blues more hopefully next year, and obviously be part of the All Blacks in that bigger dream which is the World Cup and basically just playing rugby.

“The first pre-season [game], I was pretty pumped to get into it, I was excited, I was keen but it was cut short which is pretty frustrating.

“From the negative comes the positive. I don’t know what it is yet but I will find it and move on.”

He continued: “I thought someone had shot me with a shotgun.

“It was so loud I thought someone had kicked me. Me being me I turned round to abuse someone and there was no-one there to abuse so I knew exactly what had happened and later saw that it had ruptured completely.”