Rapidly closing in on a half century of Test caps, Ali Williams has joined his good mate Richie McCaw at the Crusaders after electing to transfer to Tasman in the off-season. The athletic second rower, who was the All Blacks’ best in their quarterfinal defeat at the Rugby World Cup, was a key member of the Blues side that won the 2003 tournament – defeating the Crusaders in the final. A few months earlier in November, 2002, Williams had made his Test debut for an All Black side that featured Crusaders boss Robbie Deans as assistant coach. A former age-group representative in soccer, tennis and cricket, Williams is the older brother of Jay Williams, who debuted at lock for Auckland during the recent Air New Zealand Cup and has now joined the Chiefs as a replacement. Ali Williams came to the Crusaders with one Super rugby try to his name but has since become a one of the competition's tallest predators: increasing that tally by three, after bagging five-pointers against the Western Force, the Hurricanes and the Queensland Reds. Off the field, he is the proprietor of the rapidly expanding Supa Fern furniture business.