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Carter set for ankle surgery

All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter will have surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle, which is a separate issue from his Achilles injury.

Carter limped from the field during New Zealand's Test against England at Twickenham last month and All Blacks team doctor Tony Page said the 31-year-old was suffering wear and tear in his right Achilles tendon.

"Dan's Achilles tendon has developed some wear and tear but it won't require surgery which is good news.

"Separately from that, Dan has some bone spurs in the same ankle which need to be removed, so he will have an operation for that. This is similar to what he had done a few years ago," Page said.

He partially ruptured his other Achilles tendon when playing for French Top 14 side Perpignan in 2009, but will have plenty of time to recover from his latest setback.

Carter has begun a six-month break from rugby and will not rejoin the Crusaders until July. He is guaranteed to be available for the seven-times Super Rugby champions after the All Blacks' Test series against England in June.

"Once he has recovered from the bone spur operation, he will have a period of rest followed by gradual loading of the Achilles and calf to allow it to recover and repair ahead of his return to rugby," Page said.

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