All Blacks: Delany shapes as Carter's back-up

Dan Carter arriving in Cardiff with a suspect calf, confident he'll be fit to play, but by no means certain. History does love repeating itself.

This was the scenario in 2007 and is also the case in 2009. We all know what happened in 2007 - the All Black coaches didn't want to be without their star man so they started him in that fateful World Cup quarter-final in Cardiff.

But what about 2009 - will the selectors feel the same way, or remember the sight of a strangely out of sorts Carter limping to the touchline two years ago having failed to make the impression he wanted?

This dilemma has arisen as Carter took a knock to his calf midway through the second half in Tokyo and was limping 30 minutes after the final whistle. "It should be all right if I look after it," Carter said of his leg, declaring he hoped to be fit enough to play against Wales.

The spanner in his works was the 16-hour trip to Cardiff. There is nothing quite like air travel, even in business class, to stiffen the muscles; to hunt out any sore bit and make it that little bit sorer.

Carter being Carter, the chances are he will be fit to play. The intrigue, however, will be seeing who the selectors view as their alternative. With the star man carrying some doubt, the coaches will want to be prepared for the prospect of Carter not starting or having to come off.

Stephen Donald has been the alternative all season and is the conservative choice - conservative only in the sense he has more experience than his Chiefs team-mate Mike Delany.

Donald is certainly not conservative in the way he plays. He's a nerve jangler; the sort of player who works in extremes. It's never dull when he plays.

The uncapped Delany would be the braver selection if Carter doesn't pass fit. And while his lack of experience would suggest he'd carry a higher risk, his form of late suggests he wouldn't send hearts fluttering in the same way as Donald.

This tour needs a hero. There needs to be a great discovery made about some of the newer personnel and Delany gives that aura - he emanates a vibe that says he can do test rugby; he can be the back-up man everyone craves.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY