Deans stays positive over Carter

Deans stays positive over Carter

Monday 31st March 2008

Staying positive: Both Carter and Deans are positive about the injury

Crusaders coach Robbie Deans has said he will not let Dan Carter's injury affect the way in which his side approaches the remainder of the season.

Carter was forced off against the Hurricanes at the weekend having suffered a high ankle sprain, which is set to rule him out of action for around six weeks. However Deans will not let the injury put a damper on things.

"We'll just keep trucking on," Deans told Stuff.co.nz.

"It's bad luck for DC, and no-one likes to see a player suffer like that, but it's just part of the territory."

The initial X-rays showed no broken bones, but an MRI scan revealed the damage is serious enough to keep the fly-half out until mid-May, if not longer.

Both Carter and Deans will be hoping for a quick recovery, but if the diagnosis is correct Carter will not return until the penultimate round of Super 14 fixtures, when the Crusaders travel to Brisbane to take on the Reds.

All Blacks Head Coach Graham Henry will also be keen to see Carter back in action sooner rather than later - New Zealand's first Test of the year is against Ireland on June 7.

The Crusaders have a bye next weekend, giving their players the chance to scatter themselves around the country before re-gathering for training in Christchurch on Wednesday.

Deans said Carter was pragmatic about the injury.

"He's in great shape mentally. Now, he's got the chance to get himself back in better shape," added Deans.

"Potentially, he could be out for longer than six weeks but it's just a matter of seeing how the ankle responds over the next few weeks."

Scrum-half Andy Ellis suffered a similar injury in pre-season and it was expected he would be ruled out for six weeks, but he was back playing in three.

The Crusaders' next match is against the Lions at AMI Stadium in Christchurch on April 12.

There is a chance Stephen Brett might have recovered from his shoulder injury to start at fly-half, but Deans will not risk him if he is not fully fit.

"We won't be rushing him in before he's ready," Deans stressed.

Deans has the option of moving full-back Leon MacDonald to fly-half or giving rookie Hamish Gard his first start in the position.

"Leon's a possibility. There's a whole lot of things we can look at, really," Deans said.

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