Dan Carter is confident of facing England.
Daniel Carter, rated only 50:50 late last week to start
against England, is now confident he'll be wearing the All
Black No 10 jersey at Twickenham on Sunday morning.
A damaged Achilles kept him out of the test against Wales but
Carter trained on Tuesday morning in London and, while the
session was light, he took a full part and said he was
optimistic about being declared fit for selection..
"Nothing has changed over the last couple of days," said
Carter. "The plan was to get through training, it was pretty
light today, I didn't run over 50 per cent but I got through
it well.
"I'm pretty confident to be honest and have been doing some
positive thinking. It is the last game of the year and the
week for me is about doing whatever I can do get myself into
position into play. We will know a lot more on Thursday -
next big training - and we will probably make the decision
then."
A veteran of nearly 100 tests, Carter knows his body well
enough to know whether it is in good enough nick to play
England. He's also conscious that he can't be selfish and say
he's ready if he's not.
Having missed the last two tests he's desperate to play and
to finish the year on a high. He has the comfort blanket of
knowing that if his leg does tighten again, or become further
damaged, that he has a reasonable break before he's required
to assemble with the Crusaders.
But the 30-year-old says that while he's determined to play,
he won't take any risks. "I want to play and I know I have a
bit of a break after this, but I am not going to do anything
silly if I am not right to play, then I won't. I am going to
put the team first and if I am going to be hobbling around
just to get another cap and not benefiting the team then I
won't play."
Having also announced in the last 24 hours that he's
expecting his first child with wife Honor, Carter is in
remarkably good spirits. He has missed four tests this year
due to minor strains and pulls which has inevitably sparked
fears about his longevity. The nation might be worried, but
the man himself is not.
"I am not concerned just frustrated because believe it or not
my body feels pretty good right now. I have just had little
niggly injuries not serious ones like I have had in the past.
It has just been little tears and tightness which is pretty
frustrating.
"I am working through that with the medical team and I guess
you are always trying to find reasons why ... but I suppose I
am getting on a bit now ...
"I think also because I have had a few serious injuries in
the past with my Achilles and my groin, you over compensate:
the niggly injuries have been on my right side while the
major ones have been on my left."
- Gregor Paul of the Herald on Sunday in London
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