Sonny Bill Williams made an instant impact as New Zealand opened their World Cup defence with victory against Argentina, but says there is plenty of work to do.
Williams, who has flitted between codes and had a spell in the NRL with Sydney Roosters after helping the All Blacks win the 2011 World Cup on home soil, provided plenty of attacking impetus when he came on at Wembley in the 26-16 win.
But the 30-year-old says New Zealand are aware, after South Africa’s shock loss to Japan on Saturday, that the rest of their Pool C contests are not a formality as Namibia, Georgia and Tonga will prove stern tests.
“We’re just a work in progress,” Williams said. “As we saw with Japan and South Africa, the gap between the lower tier teams and the higher ranked teams is not as big any more. Any team on their day can upset any other team. We’ve a lot of things to work on, but overall we’re excited just to be here.”
Williams was introduced early in the second half and made his mark as the All Blacks camped in the Pumas’ territory.
He is now only looking forward, with Namibia next up at London’s Olympic Stadium on Thursday.
“I was just excited to be a part of it,” he said. “I’m really excited and pumped to be here. I got on a bit earlier than expected and just tried to do my job as best as I could.
“It was a tough day at the office. We’ll take that win and move on.”
Coach Steve Hansen has hinted Williams could return to his starting XV after fears over a long-standing knee injury have disappeared.
“He had a bit of anxiety about his knee in Sydney (during the Rugby Championship) but he’s done some good work with people to be in a good place about his knee now,” said Hansen.
“And when he’s like that he’s a pretty freaky beast. It could be an exciting tournament for him.”
Argentina play Georgia, who opened with a defeat of Tonga and will be a challenging test.
Head coach Daniel Hourcade plans to field his best available side, with lock Guido Petti likely to undergo concussion protocols after taking a blow to the head in scoring his side’s first-half try.
“With regards to the game with Georgia, we’ll have the best team,” Hourcade said. “Now we need to check those players who have been injured. After watching Georgia we know they’re strong.
“We’ll stay calm, assess the team. We’ll use the best team available. And this is nothing new.”
