Wing Julian Savea said it'll be a long road to get back into the All Blacks squad and he admits he needs to play well for the Hurricanes and enjoy his rugby again.
Savea, 27, was left out of the end-of-year northern hemisphere tour for the All Blacks after a year of patchy form, which also saw him overlooked for much of the Lions series.
The outside back had an outstanding season for Wellington in the NPC competition as his side made their return back into the Premiership division for 2018.
Savea said he is eager to get back into the All Blacks squad.
"Definitely one step at a time," said Savea.
"Obviously I have been asked a lot about the All Blacks – it definitely is an end goal."
But first he believes he must improve his form for the Hurricanes.
"It is way down there.
"First things first – I've got to perform well."
Savea said it will not be an easy task to get back into the All Blacks team, with the array of talent in the outside backs.
"Let's not get too far ahead, there's awesome outside backs in there at the moment and they are performing really well," said Savea.
"I know the coaches don't want to mix that up too much even if I was playing good.
"I know reality is I've got to get my performance right and just have fun."
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