The All Blacks could face a tricky juggling act with Richie McCaw in the lead up to the World Cup.

With Richie Mccaw still struggling with the screw in the metatarsal bone in his right foot there could be a tug of war over who his
backup is.

Right now there doesn’t appear to be too much concern about the skipper’s persistent foot problem from the coaching staff when they talk
about him publicly. Let’s hope that confidence is matched in their behind-the-scenes discussions.

It was a bit of a worry to hear McCaw saying he could give no guarantees over his place in the playoffs for the Crusaders as he continues
to be bugged by the screw in the metatarsal bone in his right foot.

McCaw has played only five games for the Crusaders and started in just four of them.

The longer he is out, the more the All Blacks will ponder their options with McCaw in this biggest of seasons. It was interesting to hear coach Graham Henry include McCaw
in a list of World Cup contenders who might need some ITM Cup involvement to help them get game time. In the same breath Henry has said McCaw is likely to be rested
from some part of the looming Tri-Nations.

That will be to eliminate the risk of any last minute injury to their most crucial forward and also to have his World Cup backup No7 operate
from the starting position in a full-blooded test against either South Africa or Australia.  A bit like the All Blacks coaches, I’m not too worried about
McCaw at the moment. But I certainly wouldn’t want this to drag on.

There’s confidence in his ability to get his game up to speed quickly. He’s shown in the past that he can come off lengthy lay-offs without too many problems. I think we’ve got to expect more wear and tear on McCaw. Given the fact he’s gone through a record 94 tests for the All Blacks and countless first-class games for the Crusaders and Canterbury it’s amazing he hasn’t been bothered by more major injuries or even lesser niggles.

But from my experience now is the time these sort of things will start to appear. I had a relatively injury-free career until I got to about 29. Then the wear and tear started to tell. McCaw is six months past 30 now and I think he will start to find himself surprised by how he is going to be bothered by “old-man injuries” from here, especially given the relentless and combative play that goes with his position.

There’s no doubt the All Blacks need to take a cautious approach with McCaw. It’s also good to see the player himself and the Crusaders realise the massive implications involved in taking any risks.

So who is going to be his backup in the All Blacks?

In a week where Henry did plenty of media, outlining some philosophies for this crucial season, he suggested the selectors – as they should – already knew who their man was. He also hinted that it was going to be a versatile player rather than a specialist.

I tend to agree. I don’t think there have been specialists standing out enough in Super Rugby to warrant a jump up, especially given the youth of candidates like Matt Todd and Luke Braid and the almost total inactivity of Daniel Braid through injuries.

I see two contenders – Liam Messam and Adam Thomson.

Messam has thrust himself forward with some compelling form for the Chiefs. He was even fortunate enough to get a run in the No7 jersey there a bit, while Tanerau Latimer was out with injury and did a good job.

Thomson is a real been-there done-that player with the All Blacks. He’s been in and out of the squad without really getting a real chance to cement his claims across the back row.

Under the circumstances I’d suggest Messam might have the inside line. Whoever gets the job needs a chance in the Tri-Nations to settle in and I see sense in the All Blacks planning.

You would have to think the All Blacks might choose to spell McCaw and Dan Carter for either the test against the Springboks in Port Elizabeth or the Wallabies in Brisbane, maybe even both, as these two tests wrap up the Tri-Nations.It doesn’t sound like there will be wholesale rotation, although there will be some shuffling of other players as well. The cotton-wool approach four years ago certainly caused a lot of ill-will around the country. It doesn’t seem the current approach will be anything on that scale but some courtesies still need to apply.

By Taine Randell  a former All Blacks captain.