‘Water boy’ Dan Carter back in the frame for New Zealand
New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter is expected to return to the match-day squad for their clash with Scotland on Saturday as he continues to work his way back from a broken leg.
New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter is expected to return to the match-day squad for their clash with Scotland on Saturday as he continues to work his way back from a broken leg.
Carter was the highest profile water boy in world rugby last Saturday when the All Blacks beat England 24-21 at Twickenham. The 32-year-old missed out on a place in the playing squad because coach Steve Hansen felt he had not played enough rugby.
Carter has barely played this year after taking a six-month sabbatical and breaking his leg in the Super Rugby final in August.
We are keen for Dan to get significant game time on this tour. Whether he’s starting or comes off the bench, he’s likely to be there in some form
He came off the bench for 30 minutes against the United States on November 1 and All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster said he would now get more playing time in their final two matches against Scotland on Saturday and Wales on November 22.
"We are keen for Dan to get significant game time on this tour," Foster said in Edinburgh. "Whether he's starting or comes off the bench, he's likely to be there in some form."
In Carter's absence, Aaron Cruden and Beauden Barrett have both stepped into the pivotal fly-half role and proved their worth at international level.
However, neither have shown they can take control of a game in the same way Carter can, and last week they missed five shots at goal between them, something that could be crucial at next year's World Cup.
