Captain Richie McCaw and prop Owen Franks are both progressing well from injury and look set to be available for selection for this weekend's Rugby Championship decider against South Africa in Johannesburg.
McCaw suffered a knee injury in the win over Argentina in Hamilton early last month and while he was initially expected to be out of action for 5 to 6 weeks, he has made a quicker than expected recovery.
McCaw has trained with the All Blacks the last couple of weeks and assistant coach Ian Foster says he's done well and is looking strong.
Meanwhile Foster says Franks has progressed well from the groin injury he suffered against Argentina last weekend and they'll give him another couple of days to prove his fitness.
The All Blacks need to pick up a point or deny the Springboks a bonus point victory to retain their Rugby Championship title.
