All Blacks: Carter can still improve - Hansen

Dan Carter training in Christchurch ahead of his last game in the city. Photo / Getty

He has played 103 tests for the All Blacks over 13 years, but there is still improvement to come from Dan Carter, believes coach Steve Hansen.

Carter, 33, is preparing to play his last test in Christchurch before his move to Paris after the World Cup, but rather than a sense that something is ending, there is more a feeling of new beginnings - partly because of that global tournament getting closer by the day, one in which Carter has yet to taste personal success, and partly because recently he has seemed to be constantly returning from injury.

After getting a solid runout against Manu Samoa under his belt last week, Carter is ready and willing to take his game to a new level and part of that is improving a running game which was flickering back to life last year only to be snuffed out by his leg injury suffered while playing for the Crusaders in the Super Rugby final over the Waratahs in Sydney.

Hansen called Carter a "special player" today after naming his team to play Argentina at AMI Stadium on Friday, but even the All Blacks coach admitted soon afterwards: "If he starts to get his running game back again then we know he's really back."

"I can remember when we first tried to change him from second-five to first-five everyone thought we were crazy but he stepped up to the plate," Hansen said. "He probably played his best rugby against the Lions in 2005 and took the world by storm and he's been a clever player, he's been a physical player from a defensive point of view, and his kicking game is second to none when he's on fire.

"He's had a couple of years of late when he's really struggled to be injury free and I think part of that early on may have been because we put too much weight on him. We dropped him back in weight I think he's suited to carrying a couple of kilos less than he had.

"We had him going pretty well from an injury point of view until he got a smack on the leg against New South Wales ... he's kept going and that resilience and persistence is something he's had for all of his career so he's starting to come back to be the player we know he can be. I think there's still room for him to get better and he wants to get better which is great.

"I think he can get better at carrying the ball rather than just being the link between himself and the rest of the backs and the halfback, he can create more danger with carrying. Once he gets that back in his game he's a very dangerous attacker."

Carter will team up with halfback TJ Perenara, a new-look midfield in Sonny Bill Williams and Ma'a Nonu, and wing Waisake Naholo, who is making his debut.

Highlander Naholo said of his opportunity: "Mum and Dad are overwhelmed and also excited. They can't make the game this weekend but they will watch it in Fiji."