Rugby: McCaw facing up to challenging year

Richie McCaw leads the bumper boats race after the New Zealand 2012 Super Rugby Season Launch at Rainbow's End. Photo / Getty Images

Richie McCaw is facing up to a few challenges this year and recovering from his injured foot is probably the least of them.

The All Blacks and Crusaders captain has a long season of Super Rugby and internationals ahead of him when he returns to the field - probably in April - and said switching between domestic and test mode would probably be the biggest thing to get to grips with.

This year is the first time the Super Rugby competition will break for internationals - the All Blacks play three tests against Ireland in June before returning for three more Super rounds and play-offs. Afterwards the All Blacks must prepare for an extended Rugby Championship (the former Tri Nations plus Argentina) from August until October and then the end-of-year tour to the United Kingdom in which they will play Scotland, Italy, Wales and England.

The All Blacks will hold two camps during the season - in Auckland and Christchurch - to get them up to speed ahead of the Ireland series but McCaw said getting back into Super Rugby mode, rather than building up for the tests, could be tougher.

"The more challenging thing will be after those three tests for the test players to go back to the business end of Super Rugby and to make sure you get that right. There'll be a few challenges there.

"It's going to be a unique one. Teams in the Northern Hemisphere, when we go up for the autumn series, they'll like that, they come from their club teams to international footy. I guess teams have done it before."

Speaking at today's Super Rugby launch, he conceded that the extended season, in which every Super team will play the other (unlike last year) would also be an issue, and said coaches would have to juggle their resources intelligently.

When asked if he had spoken to coach Todd Blackadder about how he will be managed this year, McCaw said: "I will miss the first few [games] anyway so that's probably a blessing in disguise, really. Todd knows he can't play everyone every week of the year because when it comes to the business end of Super Rugby you're not going to get the best out of them and certain players are going to come to a halt.

"All the coaches, from what I hear from the other guys, the 30 or 32 in the squad, they're all going to be involved. It's not like in the days of the Super 12 when you could pick one game when you gave everyone a rest. You're going to keep rotating that on need, on injury and just where you're at. That's the tough part for the coach, just juggling all of the those things. From our [Crusaders] point of view we've got good depth. The teams that use that the best are going to be consistent."

If McCaw is correct, the spotlight will quickly go on the New Zealand teams who lack the depth of the Crusaders and the Blues. The Highlanders are already battling with injuries and Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett, already facing a tough task, will battle further if any of his senior players are struck down. The Chiefs have an impressive backline but are lacking tight five depth.

McCaw, who is back running after an operation to remove a troublesome screw in his right foot, said he was reluctant to give a date for his return, but said he would hope to be close by the end of March. The Crusaders' first game in April is against the Bulls in Pretoria. If he plays in that match he would have missed six of the 18 rounds.