Dan Carter's personal rehabilitation programme has restricted him to just 31 minutes in the No 10 role in the past eight weeks and placed pressure on the All Blacks maestro to get things right quickly against Ireland on Sunday.

Carter was in supreme form in this year's Tri Nations.

It was universally agreed that he was back to producing the sort of regal performances he displayed in 2005 when he totally bamboozled the British & Irish Lions and helped steer the All Blacks to just their second Grand Slam a few months later.

But the preferential treatment given to him over his looming stint with French club Perpignan has worryingly stalled things. Now can he pick up from where he left off?

Given that he faces a season in France immediately after this latest tour which comes on the back of another long year of southern hemisphere rugby, Carter has been allowed plenty of breathing space to freshen up.

That's all well and good but there are a couple of issues here.

Let's not go into his absence from the Air New Zealand Cup - that has been well and truly thrashed out.

But is there a danger that Perpignan, rather than the All Blacks, could be the biggest benefactors from his current Grand Slam tour?

Will he only be back to his peak by the time the All Blacks wander off Twickenham on November 30 or does he have the ability to rekindle his brilliance with immediate effect?

Let's hope it's the latter. If the All Blacks are to again sweep the four Home Unions, they need Carter firing right now.

Europe may be Carter's future but it's also his present.

And there is no bigger stage than at the moment than in front of 82,000 Irish fans baying for All Blacks blood.

This a bigger challenge than many people probably appreciate in the form of the men in green at Croke Park.

So the pressure is on for Carter to get things right from the opening whistle.

He has made no secret that he likes to play, enjoys regular game time to keep in the groove and perhaps suffers through a lack of that.

It was clearly evident last year when he was part of the All Blacks Cotton Wool Club who were given so much time off in the leadup to the ill-fated World Cup.

Sensibly some serious selection consistency this season has brought a more settled look - and increased performance - to the All Blacks.

Carter has been part of that, starting every match through to the end of the Tri-Nations on September 13. But he has been bit of an exception to the rule in recent times.

While the All Blacks other talisman Richie McCaw was tuning up for this tour with play-offs appearances for Canterbury, Carter was resting.

His only run at home was in an All Blacks training camp.

Then he was brought back into action as a second five-eighths outside Stephen Donald against Australia in Hong Kong. He switched to No 10 after 49 minutes and, on the back of a much-needed improved effort from the All Blacks pack, steered New Zealand to victory.

Last week against Scotland, Donald was again given the steering wheel while Carter sat on the bench.

Any plans to have Carter take over for the drive home in Edinburgh were foiled when substitute halfback Andy Ellis was forced off injured, meaning the world's best No 10 had to play at No 9.

Now he is back where he belongs and it's just a matter of how quickly he can get back into the sort of form he displayed in casting aside the Springboks and Wallabies a fair while back.

Yes, he looked pretty good in what was an average test between two rusty teams in Hong Kong. But this match looms as another matter.

Carter was happy to talk up his rival Ronan O'Gara in the leadup to this Dublin fixture. But it's Carter who now must be the dominant player.

He has spoken of his desire to have a good tour and to concentrate on his All Blacks job rather than let his mind wander to France and he is sincere with that.

He looks fit and relaxed and clearly has done plenty of work on his physical and mental well-being during his extended break.

But that's not matchplay.

Carter has been given plenty of latitude by his New Zealand bosses both with his Perpignan deal and his recent layoff.

The time to pay that back is now.