Dan Carter injured his right leg while playing against the Rebels © Getty Images

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Dan Carter looks set to miss the Crusaders' Super Rugby match against the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Saturday, the fly-half failing to progress well enough from the leg injury he sustained during the season-opening loss to Melbourne Rebels in Christchurch.

Carter hobbled off the pitch in the 70th minute of the match against the Rebels, after injuring his right leg, but he was initially optimistic that he would be fit to face the Highlanders.

"I would hope so," Carter said in reference to playing the second-round match. "It was just a dead leg, I am sure it was nothing serious. I just thought it was a wee knock to the leg and sometimes with those dead legs you can run them off. I gave it a good 10 minutes but felt like a liability out there and came off in the last 10."

Carter broke his right leg during the 2014 Super Rugby final, but Crusaders assistant coach Aaron Mauger said on Tuesday "he just took a bit of a bang in the weekend, so it is a new injury - not too bad".

The latest injury is in the same part of his right leg where he cracked a small bone against the Waratahs, but Mauger said that Carter had not had any scans: "None of that stuff, it is a new injury so they are just treating it like any other knock on the leg. So, nothing too serious."

Carter jogged at training on Tuesday, and Crusaders medical staff believe he is unlikely to be sidelined long term.

Carter was not available to talk to media but Mauger said he was "clearly disappointed".

"But he's a pretty resilient lad and he will just get on and go through the process and do everything he can to be right for the next opportunity."

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