All Blacks centre Conrad Smith thinks two halves of rugby after an injury break will be enough for him to be ready to face the Wallabies.
Smith, who hasn't played since breaking his thumb against England in the Dunedin Test in mid-June, is likely to return for Wellington against Manawatu on Friday, where he is set to play for 40 minutes.
He'll then have another 40 minutes in an All Blacks practice game against Northland and North Harbour in Albany next week before heading into the first Bledisloe Cup match against the Wallabies on August 16.
He'd prefer to play more in the All Blacks practice match, but the 32-year-old veteran of 77 Tests says that will have him ready to take on a Wallabies side expected to be a tougher proposition than they were in 2013.
"For me, I've been playing long enough that hopefully two halves of rugby will be enough to get me back up to speed," he told media at an All Blacks training camp on Auckland's North Shore on Wednesday.
Smith said the thumb injury wasn't something he wanted but it had given him a breather which is likely to help him for the Rugby Championship.
"They don't always come along. You just try and make the most of it and I enjoyed getting away from the game for a couple of weeks and then doing some fitness work that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to do."
The qualified lawyer disclosed that he hasn't yet signed a contract with New Zealand Rugby extending past 2014 and he'll wait to see how he's playing before finalising that.
"It's pretty straightforward, they gave me a bit of time and I just wanted to see how I'd handle another year in the game, particularly after my break from the game last year," he said.
"If I can see I'll add value to the team, I'm keen to hang around, so it's a bit of a formality."
