For a man who has spent the last seven weeks far, far away from the rugby field, Daniel Carter made a most composed comeback last night.
His start was most undistinguished when he failed to put the kick-off 10 metres and there were a couple of skewed punts, but noone should be getting too picky. He ran the show superbly and it is noticeable that whenever Carter plays, the players outside him have an inordinate amount of time and space.
It was interesting to note that Aaron Mauger, who was so shaky and flaky last week without Carter, was looking a bit more like his old self. It is obvious that Mauger in particular plays his best football with Carter a berth inside him.
As Canterbury captain Reuben Thorne said of Carter: "He's a world-class player and we were really lucky to have him back tonight. He made a big difference."
Carter's kicking out of hand was quite stunning at times, particularly in the first half when he unleashed some raking touchfinders, albeit with the advantage of a stiff breeze behind him.
His goalkicking, too, showed no signs of being affected by his layoff. The conversion of Scott Hamilton's try was testament to that. But what will have pleased the watching All Black selectors most is the easy grace with which Carter ran. When a young man breaks his leg there are always fears that he will return short of pace and confidence.
The return of Carter, though, was perhaps offset for the All Black coaches by the sight of seeing Auckland hooker Derren Witcombe being stretchered off.
The Aucklander reportedly had feeling in his arms and legs when he was taken after suffering a hurt neck when a scrum collapsed. It may take some time before the extent of the problem can be fully assessed.
There was also the unwelcome sight of seeing Greg Somerville last only a minute. The All Black prop limped off after just one scrum but he is expected to be fit in time for the end-of-season tour.
