Sonny Bill Williams wants to make his return to international rugby league and has targeted New Zealand's Test against Australia in Canberra next month to do it.
It's the first time the explosive back-rower has indicated he wants to return the international arena since he ended a five-year exile from the NRL by joining the Sydney Roosters this season.
His decision will also raise hopes that he could take part in the Rugby League World Cup in Europe later this year.
Williams has an option of a second season with the Roosters and if he opts to take it the 27-year-old would almost certainly feature in Stephen Kearney's plans for retaining the title his side won in 2008.
New Zealand take on the Kangaroos in the nation's capital on April 19 and Williams said he'll be ready to play his first international league game since May 2008 if the Kiwi coach wants him.
"I'd love to say yes and put my hand up but it depends on whether my form warrants it," Williams said on Sunday.
"But at this stage it's about keeping my place at the Roosters and taking it from there."
Williams had his best game for Trent Robinson's side in last week's gritty 8-0 win over Brisbane - his third in the NRL since his controversial exit from Canterbury in 2008.
The former Bulldogs star said the game is a lot different to the one he left and believes it'll be harder for him to show the individual brilliance that once made him the biggest name in the NRL.
"The game is a bit of a fitness session out there. Most teams are playing the same and it's a battle of wills," he said.
"I won't lie, when I left the game, it was a lot more open, a lot more free-flowing.
"But it just goes to show the amount of athletes we have in the game at the moment. Guys are big, strong, fit, fast.
"Before I left I didn't play with too much instruction, it was my own free will I guess.
"I am happy playing in a structure. But it's about getting used to the structure and finding a way to inject myself into games. But that will come in time."
The All Blacks Rugby World Cup winner admits he's been shocked by how big a part wrestling now plays in the game, but said the challenge of adapting is what enticed him back to the NRL.
"There is a lot more wrestling. We work with a wrestling coach full-time," he said.
"But everyone is doing it. It's vital those extra few seconds you get on the ground.
"The game's still good to watch and I'm loving being back.
"I've come back to league as a union player and (am) facing new situations.
"Sometimes they're big hurdles but good players can overcome them."
Source: http://au.rd.yahoo.com/sport/rss/rugbyleague/*http%3A//au.sports.yahoo.com/league/news/article/-/16479585/sbw-targets-canberra-test-return-for-kiwis/
Topic: SBW targets Canberra Test return for Kiwis (NZ Newswire)
