All Blacks: Questions hover as Carter steps up

Dan Carter's rapid recall is a no-brainer - or desperation. Photo / Herald on Sunday

No-brainer or desperation? There will be opposing viewpoints about the merits and speed of Daniel Carter's return to the All Blacks squad but the big question now is whether he will start in the Sydney test in a fortnight.

Carter will play for Canterbury against Waikato on Friday night to bring his tally of games to four since he resumed rugby after six months out of the game recovering from surgery to repair his snapped Achilles tendon.

On that workload, scouts' reports and their own observation, the selectors have picked Carter for a training camp in Auckland tomorrow and the rest of the Tri-Nations campaign.

That rapid recall suggests many things but clearly Carter has passed the criteria espoused recently by Steve Hansen when he suggested that unless the five-eighths was 100 per cent fit "it would be a form of panic I think".

On that medical evidence and the combination of Carter's cautious return and skills which place him in the superstar category, he must be in the starting XV or reserves in Sydney.

If he starts it would not be an indictment of Stephen Donald, more a recognition that Carter is a once in a generation player.

Donald was one of the more consistent players in the messy campaign against the Springboks and goaled eight from nine kicks in Bloemfontein and Durban.

But a fit, sharp Carter will give the All Blacks extra confidence, authority and experience if they use him in Sydney. There would be a parallel with the cult movie Get Carter, where the star sets out to avenge the death of his brother.

Yesterday Carter said one person could not change a team's fortunes. "It is a team performance."

He described the transition to test rugby as a "huge step up from what I have experienced in the last three weeks". "If I get the opportunity that would be great but it would be extremely tough."

Carter would be seen as a talisman by the All Blacks and a feared rival by the Wallabies who are likely to be without their skipper, Stirling Mortlock.

"He is a key member of the All Blacks, has recovered well from his injury and has made a great return to rugby so now is the right time to bring him back into the squad," coach Graham Henry said.

All Blacks backs coach Wayne Smith said Carter should not be seen as "the cavalry riding over the hill to save us". Smith had been surprised at how quickly the experienced pivot has returned to form.

"His ability to break, and the speed that he has got, has been a surprise to me, having seen that sort of injury before."

Carter has not played a test since late last year when he piloted the All Blacks to a 32-6 win against England.

He will begin his next step towards that international stage when he joins an extended All Blacks squad for the training camp tomorrow.

Tamati Ellison and Tom Donnolly will also attend the camp to cover for the injured Isaia Toeava and Bryn Evans while the squad travelling to Sydney will be trimmed to 26 on Saturday.

Toeava has been resting a stress fracture in his foot while Evans has been suffering from lower back and leg pain and withdrew from the weekend's latest NPC round.