Reuben Thorne says he's excited at the prospect of playing for the Crusaders again.
The former AllBlack has been called into the squad for their tour of South Africa to cover a number of injuries.
Thorne, last played for the side in the 2008 final, before heading to Japan for two years.
More recently he's been playing club rugby in Christchurch but says his maintained his fitness and says there are some tough games in Japan so he expects to handle the step up to Super 15 level.
Thorne says the call-up was a bolt out of the blue but says coach Todd Blackadder was looking for someone with past experience.
Thorne believes he can step up to Super 15 rugby.
