Kane Hames would never let injuries hinder his ambitions.
"You don't always rise to the expectations but you fall to the level of your training," the Chiefs prop said.
It's almost a year since Hames started training with the Chiefs and from April to August, the 28-year-old rapidly progressed from playing club rugby for Hamilton Marist to winning his first and only All Blacks cap against the Wallabies in Sydney.
Hame admits improving on that figure lingers in the back of his mind and it was always a dream to wear the black jersey despite injuries plaguing his career.
But the chronic patellar tendonitis he struggled with in both knees a few years ago has never curbed his ambitions to consistently play at the highest level.
"I've prepared for it. I've done a whole lot of work this year and a whole lot of work last year," Hames said.
"Even when I had my injuries, I would find something else to work on. It was tough being out and I learned a lot of lessons, and how I got it and how to fix it.
"There's always something to work on and just because I was injured at the time didn't mean there was something I couldn't do, so it really has been a constant build for the last five years that I've been playing."
The former Highlanders prop has started the Chiefs' first four matches of 2017 at loosehead prop but drops to the bench for Saturday night's match against the Bulls because of a minor ankle injury, which needed a cortisone injection on Tuesday.
The Bulls are a different beast from what the Chiefs have come up against so far, after beating three Kiwi teams and the Rebels before last week's bye.
"I'm looking forward to it because scrums and drives are what they do and you get to be tested in front of a lot of people, so I'm hoping we do a good job there," Hames said of the Bulls.
This year is his last contracted to the Chiefs, but he wants to stay with the franchise that gave him another chance.
Photo by: Bruce Lim / www.photosport.nz Chiefs prop Kane Hames is enjoying the best run of his career.