Sonny Bill Williams is fighting to keep his emotions in check as he prepares to farewell Hamilton and the Chiefs in Saturday's Super Rugby final.
The strapping inside centre will contest his second final in two years and is desperate to go one better than 2011 when the Crusaders fell to the Reds in Brisbane.
Victory over the Sharks at Waikato Stadium will be the perfect domestic sendoff before his New Zealand rugby tenure officially ends with two Tests for the All Blacks against Australia. After that, a stint in Japan club rugby will be followed by a return to the National Rugby League next year.
All that has been pushed to one side by Williams, who described last week's semi-final defeat of the Crusaders as among his career highlights.
"I've played in a lot of teams but I guess the emotions I feel playing with the boys, especially after last week's win, are probably second to none," he told reporters.
He intended putting a blank on his feelings this week, he said.
He had become more adept at using focus techniques ahead of big rugby union and league fixtures, as well as his boxing fights.
"Emotions tend to eat you up and next thing you know you'll be sitting at home awake at night not being able to sleep, so you've just got to push it all to one side. Hopefully when the final hooter comes you can let it all out."
Williams confirmed he would be available for the two Bledisloe Cup tests this month.
He said he had no hesitation accepting All Blacks coach Steve Hansen's request that he delay his move to Japan to help plug a gap created by the injury to centre Conrad Smith.
