McCaw 'tough and go'

Captain and talisman Richie McCaw has a "50/50" chance of making an unexpected return for the All Blacks against Australia.

New Zealand coach Graham Henry has included McCaw in his provisional line-up for Saturday's Tri-Nation showdown against Australia in Sydney, but says the decision to play will be down to the inspirational flanker.

The 27-year-old damaged his ankle in the second Test victory over England and was not expected back until mid-August, but made a shock return to training on Monday and is touch and go to face Australia's George Smith and Phil Waugh alongside Daniel Braid.

"He's 50-50 really. We'll see how he progresses for the rest of the week," Henry said.

"The expectation was that he wasn't going to be ready until next week at the earliest, but he's got the determination and the desire to play, he's done all the rehab and he's making good progress.

"He's playing against two of the best sevens in the world - Smith and Waugh - and he doesn't want to be disadvantaged in that competition and he wants to make sure that he can be competitive.

"If he thinks he can be competitive, he'll play."