SYDNEY - All Black Luke McAlister alleviated fears over his fitness to face the Wallabies in Saturday's rugby test here by taking a full part in training today.
McAlister showed no signs of the painful back spasms that ruled him out for nearly all of yesterday's session as he trained
fully at a 90-minute skills session at North Sydney Oval.
He ran at full pace, sidestepped and took part in one on one defensive drills with Ma'a Nonu, who will replace McAlister at second five-eighth on Saturday if he is ruled out.
Backs coach Wayne Smith was non-committal about McAlister's chances before training but the session would have eased the coaches' minds.
"A back spasm is pretty debilitating but it can come right. With me, we were playing Otago in Dunedin and I got one at the captain's run, I worked on it all night and by the morning it came right and I was able to play," Smith told reporters.
"Having experienced it myself, (I know) it can come right quite quickly. So I don't know what the odds are, but we're prepared for that."
McAlister's injury is a recurring one, and struck him after his last test start against Italy in June.
Tomorrow's full team run will probably confirm whether or not he can take his place on Saturday.
- NZPA
