World Cup winning captain Richie McCaw will return to rugby in early-to-mid July by playing for his local club in Christchurch, though was unsure as to whether he would play Super Rugby for the Canterbury Crusaders.
SuperSport
The 32-year-old has been on a New Zealand Rugby Union-approved sabbatical for six months in order to prolong his international career through until the All Blacks’ World Cup defence in 2015.
No 8 Kieran Read has taken over the captaincy of the All Blacks for the three-match series against France, the second game of which is on Saturday in Christchurch.
“That’s the plan (to play for his local club Christchurch) but how many of them (games) I’m still not sure,” McCaw told Fairfax Media in Christchurch.
“I want to get through some training and depending on how the Crusaders go … I want to start playing after I have done 11 or 12 weeks of pre-season and after that I will be ready to play.”
McCaw was unsure as to whether he would be available, or wanted by the Crusaders towards the end of the Super Rugby season.
The seven-time champions have three games left to play in the competition when it resumes following the international break and are in the final playoff position in sixth place.
The playoffs begin on July 19, with the final on August 3.
“The first thing I have got to worry about is being ready to play – if needed. I would never go and play if I was ‘almost’. I have got to be right,” he added.
“And it has to be right for the Crusaders too. They have always said, if you are available and ready to go we will look at it. But if I am not needed, that is fine too.”
He is expected to resume the captaincy for the All Blacks’ defence of the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship against South Africa, Australia and Argentina in August.