Carter to play on Saturday

Editor

All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter will make his playing return from a six-month sabbatical in a minor club match on Saturday.

All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter will make his playing return from a six-month sabbatical in a minor club match on Saturday.

The 32-year-old will play for the Southbridge club, where he began his career, in a local rural championship match against Glenmark.

The 100-Test cap Crusaders playmaker does not expect to play a full 80 minutes.

“I will just ease my way back into it on what will more than likely be a heavy, wet track. I am probably only looking at 40 minutes or so, but it will just be good to get some game time,” Carter told Stuff.co.nz.

“Probably for the last six weeks I have been itching to get back. The more intense the training gets, the more you just want to get out there and play. It has picked up over the last six weeks and I am now at a stage where I am ready to play.

“There is a lot of motivation there.''