Dan Carter's back for starters

New Zealand No10 Dan Carter will return to action against Australia on Saturday — just a week before he is due to face England.

The All Blacks' leading points scorer has been sidelined since undergoing ankle surgery in August.

There is still some swelling in the ankle and although Carter was today named to start the Bledisloe Cup clash in Hong Kong he does not expect to see the game out.

"I'm confident I'll get through the first 40 and then I'll play it by ear and maybe make a decision round the 50-60 minute mark," he said. "The last thing I want to do is set myself back by playing too much. It's about making smart decisions, there's still a lot of big rugby to be played on this tour."

After the match, the All Blacks head to England for a tour which begins with the Twickenham clash and is followed by Tests against Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

Australia are looking to end a record run of 10 consecutive defeats to the All Blacks.

Last month they lost by just a point to their great rivals and have made two changes to that team with prop Ben Alexander and winger Drew Mitchell having recovered from their respective knee and hamstring injuries.

Alexander was hurt during the victory over Fiji in June. Coach Robbie Deans said: "It's great to see Ben back after a pretty frustrating period for him. Having been injured in our first outing of the year, he's had to sit and watch since but he's worked hard and is ready to go."