All Blacks captain Richie McCaw is anticipated to make his return to top level rugby off the bench for the Crusaders against the Queensland Reds in the home Super Rugby qualifying final on Saturday.
The 32-year-old loose forward, who is yet to play Super Rugby this season after taking time away from the game, turned out for his Christchurch club side last weekend and played 80 minutes.
Coach Todd Blackadder, who watched some of the club match, said McCaw was in line to feature against the 2011 champions.
"He got through the weekend all right and he's really keen to be involved so that's encouraging," Blackadder told reporters. "But it would be silly to compromise the team.
"He's a quality player - he's Richie McCaw, of course. But we've still got to put the team first."
Blackadder said it was a difficult decision for him to make, but one he was glad to have.
"You've got to weigh things up and make sure you do right by the team," Blackadder said.
"We've got a game we've got to win - bringing a guy like Richie back into the team is fantastic and makes our selection even harder.
"There's also loyalty to the guys who have done the job. You can't under-estimate the work they've put in to give us the opportunity. These decisions are never going to be easy."
The Crusaders, seven-time winners of the competition, have not faced the Reds this season.
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