McAlister comeback gathers speed

DEAN KOZANIC/The Press

COOL HAND LUKE: Luke McAlister takes part in an All Blacks pool session in Christchurch.

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Luke McAlister’s All Black comeback gathers some serious momentum tomorrow night when he starts his first test since the ill-fated Cardiff World Cup quarterfinal of 2007.

And, frankly, after two high-pressure, late-game stints off the bench against France, the chance to work his way into a match from the kickoff can't come quickly enough for the 25-year-old who will earn his 25th test cap in the Iveco Series finale against the Italians.

It's all been a bit frantic for McAlister, with his test return forced to run ahead of schedule after the injury to Richard Kahui saw him given the early whistle-up. The plan had been to ease him back via the Junior All Blacks, but that soon went out the window.

Given as he'd spent the past couple of seasons plying his trade for Sale up in the English Premiership, it's been somewhat of a shock to the system for the laid-back North Harbour playmaker.

The pace and intensity of test match rugby is a long way from the grind of the English Premiership and McAlister confesses he's taken the last fortnight really to find his feet as the impact man in the five-eighth role.

 "I wouldn't say it's been easy, not at all," he said. "But it's been exciting, and enjoyable. They were two tough tests against France. I came on with pretty much 20 minutes to go, and it's been heat of the battle.

"I was pretty nervous coming in for the last 20 of both those games. But also just happy to be out there and playing again."

This week McAlister gets his chance as a starter, with the hamstring injury to Stephen Donald confirming a selection call Graham Henry confesses he probably would have made anyway.

Donald has not quite set the world on fire through the two demanding tests against France, and it's time for a look at Luke in the No 10 role. Plus, the chance to go 80 minutes will be valuable for him as he works his way back into peak condition.

Let's not forget that before his run for the Barbarians in Sydney, McAlister had not played for three months while he shook off a knee injury. Now he finds himself essentially auditioning for the No 10 job against the Wallabies in July 18's Tri-Nations opener.

"I'm still getting there," he says. "I'm not at full match fitness yet. It's just going to take a bit of time and I'm sure it will come with training and doing a bit of extra work."

McAlister said he felt a lot better after his late-game efforts in Wellington helped the All Blacks close out a grinding 14-10 win in the wet. The week before he'd thrown a match-turning intercept with close to his first touch of the ball as the French stunned the All Blacks in Dunedin.

McAlister conceded he'd had "a shocker" in Dunedin, but felt a lot more comfortable now it had all been put behind him.

"I think everyone is under pressure. That's just the way New Zealand rugby is, the way the All Blacks are," he said. "But it's how you deal with that pressure that is the key. The boys are really supportive. I've come in and it's like I never left really."

We shouldn't forget either the talented utility back is essentially relearning a role he hasn't performed for a while. He played less than a handful of matches at No 10 over his two seasons with Sale, but right now that's where he finds himself as the All Blacks work through a testing period without Dan Carter.

That's meant a pretty firm focus on preparation for McAlister this week.

"It's just getting everything right in my head, making sure I've got everything prepared going into the game. So I know what we have to do, what we've looked at Italy wise, where their strengths and weaknesses are, and making sure I execute everything in the best possible way."

McAlister was also hopeful of more user-friendly conditions this weekend, which would allow the All Blacks to play with a little more expression.

"We want to do what the boys have done throughout the Super 14 and just play what we see in front of us and use the skills we've got in the backline. Ma'a and Ice and those guys have just got to do what they've done all year."

Of course, some dominance up front would help matters. "It's pretty easy as a team when everything's going forward," agreed McAlister.

After a fairly demanding reintroduction to test rugby over the last fortnight, McAlister could do with a comfortable ride this week against the Italians. You get the feeling that for a young man who knows all about the power of timing, he's ready to take things up a level.

- © Fairfax NZ News