Rugby: Good-bye Dan, Richie and All Black matches

Richie McCaw will farewell Christchurch fans on Friday. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Christchurch’s 17,000-seat AMI Stadium no longer seen as viable for internationals.

The Canterbury region will farewell two favourite rugby sons on Friday but All Black coach Steve Hansen warns Christchurch may soon be made to wave goodbye to the All Blacks.

With an under-sized AMI Stadium missing out on a Lions test in 2017, amid a need for increased revenue that's only growing in a global game, All Blacks tests in Christchurch could become few and far between.

Richie McCaw and Dan Carter will play their final games in the city when the All Blacks begin their Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina on Friday night, with a combination of sentiment and common sense meaning both men may start.

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And the pair's selection will provide a piece of good news to a city lacking that over the past week. Eyebrows were raised in the South Island when Eden Park and Westpac Stadium were awarded all three Lions tests but Hansen, a proud Cantabrian, adopted a pragmatic approach.

In his view, a 17,000-seat AMI Stadium was never going to suffice for a money-spinning tour like the Lions. And until Christchurch was able to offer a capacity near those available in the North Island, the All Blacks might be forced to avoid the city.

"Until Christchurch gets a stadium big enough, they won't get those test matches," Hansen said. "We're playing South Africa here in 2016 only because of goodwill, really. That's one of the big games of the year and it probably should be getting played in Auckland.

"But [that goodwill] can't extend to the Lions tests. We'd all be moaning about losing players because we can't afford to pay for them, and this is one way we can do that."

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Look no further than the record salary Carter will command in France for an idea of what the All Blacks are up against. And his impressive performance in Apia showed Racing Metro's dollar will be well spent, while also illustrating his position at the front of the first-five queue.

That's certainly unlikely to change on Friday, especially considering Carter's light recent workload. He and his Crusaders teammates watched on as the Highlanders and Hurricanes contested the Super Rugby final, and players from those franchises would be eased into their international work.

"We've got to work out who needs to be playing and who needs a breather," Hansen said. "For some guys who were involved in the final, it's a big ask for them to come straight in."

That was especially true of the two No10s involved in the final. Appearing in a battle to regain full fitness, Beauden Barrett may need to rest a troublesome knee, while debutant-in-waiting Lima Sopoaga will also be kept in reserve.

"[Sopoaga] has quite a bit of learning to do before we let him loose," Hansen said. "But, at some point, we'd like to give everyone an opportunity over these next four games."

McCaw, too, appears the obvious choice for the No7 jersey, with little desire existing to either rest the captain or assess a known quantity in Sam Cane.