KEY POINTS:
Richie McCaw is poised to defy all predictions and return to lead the All Blacks in the Bledisloe Cup rugby test against Australia in Sydney on Saturday.
A month to the day since injuring his ankle in the second test against England, McCaw galloped freely at training today in unseasonably warm Wellington sunshine.
That will send chills through the Wallabies and their coach Robbie Deans, the former Crusaders mentor who knows the impact McCaw has both as a player and captain.
When the 27-year-old suffered his high ankle strain at Christchurch, the initial best-case diagnosis was for a return in six weeks - probably against South Africa in Cape Town on August 16.
Even a week ago after the loss to the Springboks in Dunedin, assistant coach Steve Hansen said McCaw's recovery had been nothing more than steady and there was little chance of an appearance before the match in Cape Town.
However, the 62-test veteran trained with vigour today, taking part in most team drills apart from scrummaging and some contact work. He never appeared flustered and showed no discomfort as he ran.
Having played no rugby for a month, management will need to balance his need for some tough work this week with a cautious attitude.
There is still a chance coach Graham Henry will take the safe route and opt for recalled cover option Daniel Braid when the team are named tomorrow and pencil in McCaw for the second match against the Wallabies in Auckland next week.
Braid was a mix of frustration and excitement today after finishing his first All Blacks training session for nearly five years.
His third and most recent test was against Tonga at the 2003 World Cup and he admitted there were times he wondered if he would don the black jersey again.
Braid gave few clues about his selection prospects, noting that McCaw had come through well "so we'll just have to wait and see".
If he misses out, it would be another case of awful timing for the 27-year-old, who would have almost certainly been called up to replace McCaw for the two Tri-Nations tests against South Africa this month had he not suffered a calf injury early in the New Zealand Maori team's campaign.
"That was terrible timing for me. I was really keen to play in that Maori campaign and get some game time in just in case something like this happened," Braid told NZPA.
"I had been in the pre-season camp with the All Blacks so I thought if (McCaw) went down I was some sort of shot of getting there."
Instead, Chris Masoe was employed as cover for the Springboks tests but was never picked, with the selectors employing Adam Thomson and Rodney So'oialo as flankers.
That had mixed success and while Braid could see merit in the left-right flanker policy used this year, he believed there was still a place for specialist opensides like himself.
"You look at the Aussies, (openside) George Smith is going so well," he said.
"Australian teams' real strength is on the ground. All through the Super 14 it's been like that."
That was emphasised during the Wallabies' 16-9 win over the Springboks in Perth last Saturday, when the hosts based victory around defence and pressure at the breakdown.
"The Africans got over the advantage a lot but when they got a bit thin on numbers, the Aussies had guys there to snaffle the ball, which is crucial at times," Braid said.
Whether McCaw or Braid plays, So'oialo and No 8 Jerome Kaino look set to retain the other loose forward berths while other changes appear likely to the team who lost 28-30 to the Springboks in Dunedin.
Brad Thorn should return from suspension in place of lock Anthony Boric while veteran prop Greg Somerville may well be recalled for John Afoa.
Exciting centre Richard Kahui may earn a second start in place of Conrad Smith despite the latter's excellent form while Anthony Tuitavake could replace fellow Blues winger Rudi Wulf and Leon MacDonald is a possible inclusion at fullback ahead of fellow veteran Mils Muliaina.
- NZPA
