Rugby: Williams finds inspiration in his father

Ali Williams says he constantly reminds himself to live every day to its fullest. Photo / Herald on Sunday

It is pointless playing amateur psychologist to Ali Williams.

Where would you start?

With the Spider-man press conference (sample quote: "I'm just here to help out, I don't want to be a hero")? With the epic fall-out with the Blues and ill-starred coach David Nucifora in particular? With the "literary" collaborations with James Griffin?

In a sport where New Zealanders are used to their heroes being the strong, almost silent types, Williams has put the "sub" into subversive. But, really, it's all a front. Honestly.

"People think I joke around and am some sort of halfwit, but the reality is I just love my life," Williams said.

There's a big reason for that. Even at the peak of his despair, when his Achilles tendons stopped stretching and just went "ping", Williams had inspiration close at hand.

"My father's accident plays a huge part in how my mind works. My injury just reiterated it - live every day to its fullest."

Williams' father, Rodney, has been a tetraplegic since falling at an Elton John concert at Mt Smart Stadium in 1998.

Every time he looked down and saw his ankle in a moon-boot and lamented the fact he couldn't play the game he had grown to love since giving up soccer while at King's College, Williams thought about his dad and others less fortunate.

"That's exactly what I did. I get pissed off for all of two seconds then think, 'Hold on, I can still talk, I can still see, I love my life'. If you have an attitude like that you don't fall into that hollow," Williams said.

"Getting down is a good thing. It makes you appreciate things in a lot better light, but you've got to get back up again."

The Super 15 provided Williams with a path back into the game after the lost years of 2009 and last year, but it was really his impressive performance at Brisbane last weekend that signalled he was back.

Playing off the bench, Williams added vitality, muscle and his trademark aerial skills in a faltering All Black performance.

"I think it went all right. I just wanted to be out there and impose my physicality, which is one of the things my job requires," Williams said.

He even had the chance to pack down at blindside flanker, something he was soon told to discontinue.

Until Brisbane, Williams' form line would have read "improving, but patchy".

There was a reason for that. Williams found his brain was working a lot quicker than his body.

"The main problem is the hand-eye co-ordination and ball skills. Your body doesn't move as quickly as what it did before you got injured. That builds up and gets better and better, but getting that hand-eye back and timing with your teammates is hard.

"I found it frustrating."

But not for long.

The Ali file

Born: April 30, 1981 in Auckland
Physical: 2.02m, 115kg
Club: Ponsonby
Province/ franchise: Auckland/ Blues
Test debut: November 9, 2002 v England at London
Tests: 66
Tries: 7.