All Blacks and Crusaders captain Richie McCaw has undergone surgery on the injured foot that hampered him during the Rugby World Cup and has begun a rehabilitation which takes him out of the start of next season’s Super 15 Rugby tournament.

New Zealand team doctor Deb Robinson said McCaw had a screw removed from his right foot and had received a bone graft.

She said McCaw would be in plaster for two weeks, then in a supporting boot for a month and would not be able to return to training for 12 weeks.

Robinson said “in addition, he had an X-ray prior to surgery which showed the bone had started to heal to some extent in the four weeks since the end of the Rugby World Cup, which is good news.”