All Blacks: Carter plans a gentle return back into black

Daniel Carter returns to the All Black side after injury in tomorrow's Hong Kong test match. Photo / Getty Images

All Black fans will be relieved to see Daniel Carter take to the field in tomorrow night's transtasman test in Hong Kong - but don't bank on him being there at the final whistle.

The All Blacks first five-eighths doesn't want to risk damaging himself in his return to test match action for the All Blacks following ankle surgery.

Carter was a certainty to be included in the starting 15 for tomorrow's Bledisloe Cup test at Hong Kong Stadium, but the world's premier pivot was coy on whether he would be still involved at fulltime.

His right ankle is still swollen as the rehabilitation process continues since bone spurs were removed after the All Blacks regained the Tri-Nations title in South Africa on August 22.

Carter, who becomes the seventh most capped All Black when plays his 75th test, yesterday revealed he was "not sure" how long he would last before Stephen Donald was summoned from the reserves bench.

"I'm confident I'll be able to get through the first 40 and then I'll play it by ear and maybe make a decision round the 50-60 minute mark.

"The last thing I want to do is set myself back by playing too much.

"It's about making smart decisions, there's still a lot of big rugby to be played on this tour."

Carter was encouraged by his contribution to a 40-minute trial game in Auckland last Friday, while training since arriving in Hong Kong had also gone without a hitch.

"I've got through a pretty heavy workload in the early part of the week which has been good.

"It's my call to play, and the coaches. We've been communicating a lot over the last three or four weeks.

"We've always been targeting this game. I'd have liked to have played a game for Canterbury heading into it, but the timing didn't work out."

Carter was loathe to blame his ankle for any substandard kicking performances this season, although after discussions with skills coach Mick Byrne it is likely to have had a bearing on his accuracy from the tee and in general play.

"Mick analyses my kicking a lot and one of my biggest faults was I was falling away off my right foot; my plant foot was kind of falling away after I kicked which isn't ideal," he said.

"I think now with the work I've had done hopefully it's going to be stable and stronger down the track."

Carter isn't alone in addressing goalkicking problems. Wallabies first-choice goalkicker Matt Giteau is also striving to tend to technical issues after his goalkicking lapses twice cost the Wallabies potential victories this year.

The second five-eighths missed a crucial late penalty in front against England in June; several failed attempts also helped the All Blacks stage a remarkable comeback to win the last month's Bledisloe Cup test 23-22 in Sydney.

Giteau has been tutored by former Springbok Braam van Straaten in a bid to remedy his deficiencies.

"Braam's been good ... I've changed a fair bit of my style," Giteau said.

"I was probably falling away on the kicks. They were tailing a bit more than they usually do and not staying straight."

At the other end of the All Blacks' backline, Mils Muliaina finds himself in a two-horse race that he admits he probably cannot win.

The veteran fullback starts the tour and the All Blacks skipper start the five-test end-of-year tour on 89 tests, along with captain Richie McCaw. Both have the chance to pass Sean Fitzpatrick's record of 92 test appearances.

"He's probably got a better chance than me," Muliaina smiled.

"Richie's still got the edge; it's hard for me to mow Ted's [Graham Henry] lawns when we're over in Hong Kong."

McCaw and Muliaina will both start tomorrow in Hong Kong.

- NZPA