KEY POINTS:
AIX EN PROVENCE - Keith Robinson is grateful that a couple of All Blacks teammates chose to sacrifice their day off to help ready him for his first foray at the rugby World Cup this weekend.
Robinson's long, painful absence from the playing field while recuperating from a
left calf strain will end on Saturday in Toulouse when he packs down at lock against Romania.
While most of his teammates had all of yesterday off to refresh themselves at the halfway point of the campaign, Robinson and physiotherapist Peter Gallagher spent much of it ensuring the tough lock was ready to return.
Joining them to help put Robinson though his paces was hooker Andrew Hore and prop Greg Somerville, who could just as easily have chosen to play golf, lounge by a pool or travel France.
Instead they held padded shields and packed down against their teammate.
"You appreciate it all right. They've been away doing other things but they came along to try and help me out," Robinson said.
"It's the environment, I think I'd do the same for them."
Robinson was more excited than nervous as he eyed his first test since July.
The 30-year-old believed he could have played against Scotland last weekend but had decided to stick with his long-term goal of returning to action against this week.
"The last couple of days we've done a lot of conditioning on it and I'm very confident it's fine," he said.
"Pete Gallagher thinks I'm in the best shape of my life. He's the physio, I'll listen to him."
Robinson said there was never an official deadline given for him to be ready by before the coaches called over a replacement player.
They had encouraged him to be patient with his recuperation, telling him there was no need to rush back until he was 100 per cent fit.
"The pressure was the pressure I put on myself," Robinson said.
The darkest point of his recovery came midway through week two when he re-tweaked the calf in the leadup to the Portugal game.
It was a second recurrence to the damage first suffered in New Zealand last month, with the first recurrence coming in Corsica on the way to the tournament.
At one point the thought entered his mind that he wouldn't be in France for much longer.
"I had a day of that, especially when I slipped up the second time," he said.
"But you always do. The day after and injury, you think it's the end of the world."
Robinson should know, having generated a massive medical report since his 2002 All Blacks test debut.
Robinson hoped his excellent aerobic fitness base, which has been enhanced through boxing away throughout the tournament so far, would hold him in good stead.
He has also put his mind to work, helping fellow-locks Ali Williams and Chris Jack with their pre-test tactics.
"I've been able to do a lot of work on opposition lineouts and help them out in that regard," Robinson said.
"It's important that if I see anything that needs attention, that I do pass it on to them.
"I hope they'd do the same for me."
- NZPA