Close to two years have passed since Brodie Retallick last wore the black jersey and he admits to feeling the nerves.
The All Blacks lock has been named to start against Fiji - his first test since a man-of-the-match performance against Wales in the 2019 Rugby World Cup bronze-medal match.
A veteran of 81 tests, Retallick doesn’t come across as the nervous type, but after such a long time away from the intensity of test rugby, the 30-year-old feels the pressure to perform.
"I'm a bit nervous to be fair," Retallick says. "It's been a while since the 2019 World Cup, but we had the camp in Auckland and being around the team last week preparing for a test was good.
"I'm excited to be here and excited to be back in the test arena."
The 2014 World Rugby Player of the Year hasn't played a competitive match since May in the Japan Top League. Retallick returned to his home in Hawke's Bay, where he trained in isolation, before joining the All Blacks squad late last month.
But despite the less-than-ideal preparation for an All Blacks camp, coach Ian Foster is confident a vintage performance from the athletic second-row forward isn't too far away.
"He's come back pretty charged up and it's great to have him back," says Foster.
"We've held him back a little bit. He's had two or three weeks at home training by himself, so we will see what we get on Saturday.
"We have faith and trust in him, and I know he is jumping out of his skin to get back on the park for us.
"He's getting there very quickly and Saturday is a great opportunity for us to see where he is at.
Really excited to see him under pressure and put a bit of a marker on where he is."
And Retallick is chomping at the bit for the opening whistle against Fiji, stressing his desire to play test rugby is as strong as it's ever been.
"When I left for Japan, the plan was to always come back to New Zealand, and get the chance to play test rugby again and prove my case. I want to be here, so it makes all the other stuff pretty easy.
"I don't regret going over there. It was fun and refreshing and great for the family, but I am happy to be back home for sure."
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