The Crusaders are ready to welcome back talismanic captain Richie McCaw for the Super Rugby semi-final against the Stormers at Cape Town on Sunday (AEST).

Assistant coach Daryl Gibson said the injured All Blacks forward was all but a certainty for the match at Newlands.

McCaw was very bullish about his playing prospects when the side left for South Africa on Sunday and that confidence seems to be well placed, according to Gibson.

McCaw has missed large chunks of this season after pre-season foot surgery and he was unavailable for the last month due to discomfort in the same foot.

But Gibson is confident McCaw will be right to lead his team on to Newlands when he will in all likelihood be accompanied by No.8 Kieran Read, who rolled an ankle in the first-round playoff victory over the Sharks in Nelson last Saturday.

That will leave the Crusaders near full strength for the first time this season.

"We anticipate Richie will be back and he will lead the team," Gibson said from Cape Town.

"Kieran, too, is expected to be fit."

Gibson paid tribute to the team's medical staff who had worked overtime this season patching up then rehabilitating a long list of players.

"It's been one of those seasons where he have had to juggle guys all year.

"It is a pure luxury in this competition to be able to put out a close to full strength team at this time of year.

"It is a credit to our management and medical staff who have got it just right when we needed it."

Gibson suggested Read's recovery from his ankle injury was a blessing given the stern physical test they anticipate against the Stormers, who qualified in second place after the round robin phase of the competition.

"The Stormers like to physically intimidate and dominate teams and it will be close to a Test match intensity.

"We'd love Kieran to play. He's a big man and in these sorts of games, where it's going to be such a big, physical contest, you need your big stars playing.

"We are going to need guys like Kieran, who is a big ball carrier for us and who throws himself into contact."

The Crusaders beat the Stormers at Newlands in round 12 in May, which Gibson did not think would do his players any harm as they built towards the semi-final.

"It was obviously huge, just in that belief factor that we know we can win here.

"We won here with a much weaker team so that certainly plays into it."

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