Benji Marshall's desire to play for the All Blacks has been welcomed by New Zealand Test coach Steve Hansen.
But Hansen believes it would be premature for him to offer an assessment of how the Wests Tigers playmaker might fare in rugby union.
Marshall, who is leaving the Tigers after 11 seasons with the NRL club, is set to decide in the coming days whether he will sign for Super Rugby franchise the Blues.
The former Kiwis skipper rates the prospect of playing for the All Blacks as a big drawcard and Hansen says he's happy to hear that.
"He's a world-class rugby league player and a world-class athlete and, by all accounts, listening to the media and listening to him talk, he seems to be a very good character," Hansen said on Sunday as he named his 28-man All Blacks squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship.
"So to have someone like that who wants to be an All Black is great."
But Hansen said he couldn't offer further comment without having watched Marshall play a game of rugby.
"I can't, because I don't have any information to back it up, other than what I've seen," he said.
"If he can transfer his skill set that he has been displaying into rugby, then he's got a good chance of being a very good rugby player."
Marshall made a flying visit to Auckland to meet Blues coach Sir John Kirwan, chief executive Andy Dalton and new stakeholder Murray Bolton on Friday.
The 28-year-old flew straight back to prepare for Sunday's clash with Gold Coast, but manager Martin Tauber remained in New Zealand to meet potential third-party sponsors.
Marshall said the Blues were his preferred choice as rugby destination.
"I've got to take into account all my options but the opportunity to maybe one day play for the All Blacks is a pretty big motivator for me," he told journalists.
A former New Zealand Under-15 representative, Marshall last played rugby when he was 16.
