All Blacks: SBW takes debut in his stride

Sonny Bill Williams of New Zealand is tackled by Toby Flood (L) and Lewis Moody (R) of England. Photo / Getty Images

London - One sleight of hand and the All Blacks' potentially magic acquisition of Sonny Bill Williams materialised, though New Zealand's most talked about rugby talent was hardly the star of the show at Twickenham.

The time All Blacks management and his new teammates have so far invested in the new double international was vindicated in the 16th minute of New Zealand's 26-16 defeat of England today when Williams scythed through the defensive line and conjured another one of those one-handed offloads - the catalyst for Hosea Gear's maiden test try.

Jerome Kaino was alert enough to anticipate Williams' intent to free the ball, the blindside flanker then surged clear before floating a pass to Gear, who did remarkably well to force the ball before being clattered into touch by Chris Ashton.

His role in the All Blacks opening try was immensely satisfying though Williams was not as enamoured with other aspects of his game.

In the 35th minute he tried to catch a difficult Joe Rokocoko pass with one giant paw, drawing ridicule from the 82,000-crowd when the ball bounced over the sideline.

There was also a pass to Daniel Carter's bootlaces during the second half and one back move where he was not quite in synch with his first five-eighth and midfield partner Ma'a Nonu.

Williams later equated his debut to a rollercoaster ride - extreme highs then inevitable low points.

"I did a couple of good things, a couple of bad things," he said.

The worst feeling, for the 25-year-old, was letting teammates down after they worked hard to secure turnover ball.

"You feel like you're letting them down when you stuff up, that's the biggest thing," he said.

Williams and Nonu, test rugby's super-sized midfield combo, encapsulated the All Blacks performance - clinical in some facets, casual in others.

Asked for his take on the Williams/Nonu experiment former school teacher Graham Henry gave his star pupil a pass mark.

"They created a bit didn't they? The first try was from a Sonny Bill break .... but I think the jury's still out.

"I don't think he'll be entirely happy with his game but he'll be better for the experience.

"What else would you expect? His first game, in front of 82,000 at Twickenham, is a pretty big ask.

"I'm pretty happy with what he displayed."

Henry know has to decide if Williams warrants a second cap at Murrayfield on Sunday (NZT) and if so, would it be wiser to use him at second five-eighth with Conrad Smith providing the centre has recovered from a hamstring strain.

Williams hoped the selectors judged him worthy of a second chance.

"There's a lot of things I can improve on. Hopefully it will be just like when I came back to New Zealand. The more game time I get the more I can express myself. It's like a snowball effect," he said.

Meanwhile, Gear's sporadic All Black career showed signs of gaining momentum in just his third test since debuting against the Wallabies at Hong Kong in 2008.

Gear was a handful for the English defence on the left flank, ensuring his marker Ashton has a difficult afternoon.

Carter was named man of the match, by virtue of goal kicking exploits that netted 16 crucial points, but Gear should not have lagged far behind in the judging.

"His involvement was a lot better than it has been in previous internationals," said assistant coach Wayne Smith.

"It was an important try he got, he chased well for us and made some good tackles.

"Hosea's had a couple of opportunities over a couple of years .... I think he's shown the value of that -- he knows what's expected and what this level's going to be like."

- NZPA