Dave Hewett would love a crack at the British & Irish Lions but is not holding his breath that it will happen.
The 33-year-old prop heads to Scotland to take up a contract with Edinburgh in July and is keen to make his swansong against the British tourists.
But with his Canterbury province not taking on Brian O’Driscoll’s men, Hewett is unsure if he will get a call from New Zealand coach Graham Henry.
Hewett has not played for the All Blacks since winning the last of his 22 Test caps in the third/fourth place play-off against France in the 2003 World Cup when New Zealand were coached by John Mitchell.
He said: "I would have loved to have played for Canterbury against the Lions but there’s no game which is a bit of a blow.
"I’m still available for the All Blacks. I would love to play for the All Blacks against the Lions. It’s one of the few teams that I haven’t played against so it is something I’d like to do. But whether it does happen is obviously not up to me."
Hewett, who can play on either side of the scrum, has been the cornerstone of a Crusaders pack that boasts seven players who have played international rugby for New Zealand.
But he faces a stiff challenge to regain his All Blacks jersey with Crusaders team-mate Greg Somerville, Highlanders’ ace Carl Hayman and Tony Woodcock of the Blues, ahead of him in the pecking order.
Saimone Taumoepeau, who played for the All Blacks against the Barbarians last November, and Crusaders prop Campbell Johnstone are also seen as strong prospects for international honours in the future.
"I think I’ve had a reasonable year but there’s still a lot of talent out there and they may decide others are more applicable than me because of age," Hewett added.
With the Crusaders’ regular players exempt from the All Blacks trial on June 3 because of their Super 12 final commitments, the Scotland-bound prop will not know if his wish has been granted until Henry announces his squad to face the Lions on June 12.
