From Bombay to the Bledisloe Cup, it is hardly the ideal preparation to take on the Wallabies.
But, after finally returning to the field, Sonny Bill Williams is hopeful it will be enough to see him get the nod for the All Blacks in Sydney next weekend.
The cross-code superstar made the first real on-field step to putting the past six weeks behind him with a 65-minute hit-out in a Counties B inter-squad match on Saturday.
A few hundred locals braved heavy rain at the Bombay Rugby Club near Pukekohe and 'SBW' did not disappoint.