Wynne Gray: Blueprint for victory - stop Dan

Dan Carter. Photo / Getty Images

The Waratahs are concocting a plan to suffocate Daniel Carter in the Super Rugby showdown.

Success in shutting down Matt Toomua in the semifinal has persuaded them the path to a title win this Saturday in Sydney lies in repeating the tactics against Carter.

Defence coach Nathan Grey is working on the strategy with Bernard Foley and Rob Horne, who usually defend for the Tahs in the midfield where Carter is such a threat.

"Giving him time and space, his running game is probably undervalued or people don't talk enough about that because he can really take on the line as well as distribute to the likes of Israel Dagg and Nemani Nadolo out wide," Foley told the Daily Telegraph.

"I think he's got all the class and experience as a footballer, he's the world's best and he's been there for a long time.

"His composure, his ability to influence a game and control the match and keep it on their terms is definitely a massive strength."

The Waratahs' apparent interest in Carter hints at a fixation in the way sides who are not used to frequent high-pressure combat can obsess about issues.

The Tahs have not beaten the Crusaders for a decade and have not won a title in the 18-year history of Super Rugby.

But the whole thing could be an elaborate public double-bluff engineered by staffers such as Daryl Gibson and Andrew Mehrtens, who understand the Crusaders' character.

Carter is the heaviest points scorer in Super Rugby history yet his radar has been astray is his past two matches.

His kicking success rate has been less than 60 per cent, and he has had several easy misses by his standards.

"I'm kicking well in training but I'm not executing on the field," he said. "I'm sure it will be better next week."

Eight Crusaders are in the All Black squad for the Rugby Championship - three others, Ryan Crotty, Colin Slade and Matt Todd were squeezed out in the cull to 31 players - and the Waratahs have 11 in the Wallabies squad.

Team strategies and individual duels will interest the All Black and Wallaby selectors on Saturday as they refine their plans for the first of their transtasman tests a fortnight later at the same venue.

If he stays intact, Carter will be first five-eighth for the All Blacks' attempt to claim a world-record winning sequence.