Rugby: Julian Savea's return - patience pays off for All Blacks

Julian Savea has had to work hard to reclaim his No 11 All Black jersey. Photo / Getty Images

Leaner and meaner is the best way to describe Julian Savea who has spent the last three weeks proving to the All Black selectors how much he wants to remain at the forefront of test football.

It sounds almost unbelievable that a wing in the modern game, playing in a Super Rugby team that reached the final, could lose conditioning and fitness in the last six weeks of the season.

But it's what happened. Savea pitched up at All Black camp a few weeks back with skinfold measurements that were surprisingly bad.

He was out of shape - carrying too much weight and missing that explosive running that defines his game.

As the Hurricanes progressed deeper into the tournament, they trained less and rested more to allow the players to be fresh on game day. It didn't work for Savea.

"It is always hard when you are playing week in and week out, your eating stays the same but the training load comes down," he says.

"So I wasn't getting that conditioning every week so the All Black coaches made a decision and I responded to that really well. I agreed with them.

"[I have been] Pretty much just running. Running up and down the field while the boys were training. It has been good. I have reacted well and in terms of my goals, I wanted to get into good shape."

The coaches are satisfied that he's now reached a level where he can do himself and the team justice and Savea's selection is as much a reward for their patience as it is the giant wing's hard work.

It would have been tempting to expose Savea - put him back to Wellington and ask him to prove himself in the ITM Cup.

That was the fate of both Steven Luatua and Charlie Faumuina when they were felt to be lacking the necessary conditioning.

But Hansen was willing to be patient given the quality Savea offers when he's at his best.

They were hard on him - have put him through three intense weeks and asked him to prove his desire to be an All Black.

"We are trying to get him fit," said Hansen.

"He turned up overweight. He's been good though. His attitude has been fantastic. He's made some great gains but he's been through a bit of pain as well. He's pretty hungry - and I don't mean for food - to play again. That's a good place to have because when he's like that, he's a pretty handy footballer.

"It's a long season and maybe in Super Rugby it is pretty easy to lose focus and maybe that is what happened. But again I can't say enough how well he's taken to the task. He accepted he wasn't where he needed to be but now he's ready to play."