Match Centre

Whether Dan Carter was entitled to be rated as the best No 10 of all time might be arguable for as the Lions coach of 2005, Clive Woodward, suggested a compelling case might be made for one of his English proteges, Jonny Wilkinson.

Others might opt for the great Argentinian of the 1970s and 80s, Hugo Porta, or some of those who for so many years were products of what was termed the Welsh fly-half factory, the likes of Cliff Morgan or Barry John.

Australia, too, has had many superb practitioners in what rugby's equivalent of American football's most pivotal player, the quarter-back, notably Mark Ella.

But Carter without doubt belongs near or at the top of this elite group and in the forefront of the first-five-eighths "factory" with which New Zealand itself has been blessed in the modern era.

Not long before Carter there were Grant Fox, Frano Botica, Andrew Mehrtens and Carlos Spencer and more recently Aaron Cruden, Beauden Berrett and Richie Mo'unga.

Splendid, though all of those long serving All Blacks, were there is little quibbling when Carter is proclaimed as the ultimate in the position. Whereas most of the others, even the best of them, had a weakness or two, usually tackling, Carter was almost faultless in every aspect of the game. He could attack, make a break with the pace of an outside back, kick tactically and prodigiously for goal, and be a brave, consistent defender. He also exerted a cool control of most games, nearly always taking the right option.

Carter was a natural left footed kicker, as was his British arch-rival Wilkinson, though he could also use his right. Indeed, early his career one television commentator thought that was his preference. And, of course, in his triumphant swan-song to New Zealand rugby, the World Cup final in 2015, he deliberately switched to the right foot to land his last conversion.

A measure of Carter's natural talent was his ability to switch to other positions, even if he wasn't quite a utility back as, say, Barrett, or another Canterbury product, Colin Slade. In his early seasons, with Canterbury, the Crusaders and in 2003 with the All Blacks, including the World Cup tournament in Australia, most of his matches were in the midfield outside either Mehrtens or Spencer.

He had first appeared as a first-five of exceptional promise with the 2002 New Zealand under 21s in South Africa, only then receiving his chances when initial choices, Luke McAlister and Cameron McIntyre, were injured. Not until the 2004 end-of-season tour did he get his chance at first-five, playing in all three internationals.

His biggest impact came in the 2005 season against the Woodward-coached 2005 Lions, especially in the second test in Wellington when his performance produced headlines like "The Perfect 10". He scored 33 points that day, including two tries, four conversions and five penalties in a display on which even those British critics with no love of the All Blacks lavished superlatives.

Since then Carter was pretty much an automatic selection, though suffering many disruptions through injuries and which allowed chances for deputies like Cruden, Slade and Stephen Donald. Injuries ruined his World Cup tournaments in 2007 and 2011. He probably should not have taken the field in the 2007 semi-final debacle against France because of injury and an untimely groin injury meant he missed the knockout stages of the 2011 tournament. The sabbatical he had with the French club, Perpignan, in 2008 was also curtailed because of an Achilles tendon injury, and in 2013, in the tri-nations test in Wellington a severe tackle, if subsequently deemed legitimate, from Springbok Bismarck du Plessis, ended his domestic season.

World Cup atonement came at last in 2015 when he was a dominant player in the semi-final against South Africa and the final against Australia, winning him acclaim as the international player of the year for the third time. In both of these games he dropkicked crucial goals and that was especially significant. For until the later stages of his career his successes with dropped goal attempts had been sparse and if there was one weakness to his game it was that. It was another sign of his professionalism and constant practice that this was so spectacularly overcome.

Carter's career ran almost parallel with another super-star, Richie McCaw. Not only with the All Blacks but with the Crusaders in Super rugby they shared in many triumphs. Both were also products of rural New Zealand, in Carter's case Southbridge a small farming township nearly 50km south of Christchurch. Like McCaw, he never quite lost the down-to-earth modesty to be found from many of that background. In some ways it was incongruous that both during his playing days and beyond he featured in so much commercial activity and in the "celebrity" media. But he and his former hockey international wife Honor were a handsome couple.

Carter, too, was often proclaimed as another old boy of a noted academic and sporting nursery, Christchurch Boys High, which schooled among others Richard Hadlee and Mehrtens. But he spent only his last year there and the bulk of his schooling was at Ellesmere College in rural Canterbury.

Carter did not officially retire until February, 2021, when he was nearly 39. But for most New Zealanders his career had ended with the World Cup win in 2015 and that was an appropriate farewell. He finished in 2015 with just about every record and honour the game could bestow. He compiled a staggering 1598 points in his 112 All Black tests and another 1708 points in his 141 games for the Crusaders in Super rugby.

Carter spent his rugby twilight years after 2015 benefitting from lucrative contracts, firstly with the Paris Metro club Racing 92 in France and then Kobelco Steel in Japan. He did help Racing 92 win the 2016 Top 14 competition but his overseas stints were again marred by injury. So, too, was a much-hyped return to Super rugby with the Blues in 2020, and because of a persistent calf ailment he never once took the field. But few begrudged Carter anything, such was the huge debt he was owed by New Zealand rugby in general.

Profile by Lindsay Knight
for the New Zealand Rugby Museum.

FULL NAME

Daniel William Carter

BORN

Friday, 5 March 1982 in Leeston, New Zealand

AGE

42

PHYSICAL

1.78m, 94kg

POSITION

First five-eighth

LAST SCHOOL

Christchurch Boys' High

RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from)

Christchurch HSOB

PROVINCE

Canterbury

SUPER RUGBY TEAM

Crusaders

NICKNAME

DC

ALL BLACK DEBUT

Saturday, 21 June 2003
v Wales at Hamilton
aged 21 years, 108 days

INTERNATIONAL DEBUT

Saturday, 21 June 2003
v Wales at Hamilton
aged 21 years, 108 days

LAST TEST

Saturday, 31 October 2015
v Australia at London
aged 33 years, 240 days

ALL BLACK TESTS

112 (6 as a substitute) 112

ALL BLACK GAMES

0 0

TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES

112 (6 as a substitute) 112

STARTING POSITIONS

Jersey Number 10 : 94

ALL BLACK TEST POINTS

1598pts (29t, 293c, 281p, 8dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK GAME POINTS

0pts

TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS

1598pts (29t, 293c, 281p, 8dg, 0m)

ALL BLACK NUMBER

1034

ALL BLACK GAMES THAT CARTER PLAYED

(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced

Click on the date below to view the Match Card

2003

21 Jun vs Wales at Hamilton 55-3  

28 Jun vs France at Christchurch 31-23  

26 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 50-21 (+) 

11 Oct vs Italy at Melbourne 70-7  

17 Oct vs Canada at Melbourne 68-6  

24 Oct vs Tonga at Brisbane 91-7  

8 Nov vs South Africa at Melbourne 29-9 (+) 

20 Nov vs France at Sydney 40-13 (+)(-) 

2004

12 Jun vs England at Dunedin 36-3 (-) 

19 Jun vs England at Auckland 36-12 (-) 

10 Jul vs Pacific Islanders at Albany 41-26  

17 Jul vs Australia at Wellington 16-7  

24 Jul vs South Africa at Christchurch 23-21 (-) 

7 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 18-23 (-) 

13 Nov vs Italy at Rome 59-10  

20 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 26-25  

27 Nov vs France at Paris 45-6  

2005

10 Jun vs Fiji at Albany 91-0 (-) 

25 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Christchurch 21-3  

2 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Wellington 48-18  

6 Aug vs South Africa at Cape Town 16-22  

13 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 30-13 (-) 

5 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 41-3  

19 Nov vs England at London 23-19  

2006

24 Jun vs Argentina at Buenos Aires 25-19  

8 Jul vs Australia at Christchurch 32-12  

22 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 35-17  

29 Jul vs Australia at Brisbane 13-9  

19 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 34-27  

26 Aug vs South Africa at Pretoria 45-26  

2 Sep vs South Africa at Rustenberg 20-21  

5 Nov vs England at London 41-20  

11 Nov vs France at Lyon 47-3 (-) 

18 Nov vs France at Paris 23-11 (-) 

25 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 45-10 (-) 

2007

2 Jun vs France at Auckland 42-11 (-) 

16 Jun vs Canada at Hamilton 64-13  

23 Jun vs South Africa at Durban 26-21  

30 Jun vs Australia at Melbourne 15-20  

14 Jul vs South Africa at Christchurch 33-6  

21 Jul vs Australia at Auckland 26-12  

8 Sep vs Italy at Marseille 76-14 (-) 

23 Sep vs Scotland at Edinburgh 40-0  

6 Oct vs France at Cardiff 18-20 (-) 

2008

7 Jun vs Ireland at Wellington 21-11  

14 Jun vs England at Auckland 37-20 (-) 

21 Jun vs England at Christchurch 44-12 (-) 

5 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 19-8  

12 Jul vs South Africa at Dunedin 28-30  

26 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 19-34  

2 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 39-10  

16 Aug vs South Africa at Cape Town 19-0 (-) 

3 Sep vs Samoa at New Plymouth 101-14 (-) 

13 Sep vs Australia at Brisbane 28-24  

1 Nov vs Australia at Hong Kong 19-14  

8 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 32-6 (+) 

15 Nov vs Ireland at Dublin 22-3  

22 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 29-9  

29 Nov vs England at London 32-6  

2009

22 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 19-18  

12 Sep vs South Africa at Hamilton 29-32  

19 Sep vs Australia at Wellington 33-6  

31 Oct vs Australia at Tokyo 32-19 (-) 

7 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 19-12  

21 Nov vs England at London 19-6  

28 Nov vs France at Marseilles 39-12 (-) 

2010

12 Jun vs Ireland at New Plymouth 66-28 (-) 

19 Jun vs Wales at Dunedin 42-9 (-) 

26 Jun vs Wales at Hamilton 29-10 (-) 

10 Jul vs South Africa at Auckland 32-12  

17 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 31-17  

31 Jul vs Australia at Melbourne 49-28  

7 Aug vs Australia at Christchurch 20-10  

21 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 29-22  

30 Oct vs Australia at Hong Kong 24-26 (-) 

6 Nov vs England at London 26-16  

13 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 49-3 (-) 

20 Nov vs Ireland at Dublin 38-18  

27 Nov vs Wales at Cardiff 37-25 (-) 

2011

22 Jul vs Fiji at Dunedin 60-14 (+) 

30 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 40-7  

6 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 30-14  

27 Aug vs Australia at Brisbane 20-25  

9 Sep vs Tonga at Auckland 41-10 (-) 

24 Sep vs France at Auckland 37-17  

2012

9 Jun vs Ireland at Auckland 42-10  

16 Jun vs Ireland at Christchurch 22-19  

18 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 27-19  

25 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 22-0  

29 Sep vs Argentina at La Plata 54-15 (-) 

6 Oct vs South Africa at Johannesburg 32-16 (-) 

20 Oct vs Australia at Brisbane 18-18 (-) 

11 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 51-22  

1 Dec vs England at London 21-38 (-) 

2013

22 Jun vs France at New Plymouth 24-9  

7 Sep vs Argentina at Hamilton 28-13 (-) 

14 Sep vs South Africa at Auckland 29-15 (-) 

2 Nov vs Japan at Tokyo 54-6 (-) 

9 Nov vs France at Paris 26-19 (-) 

16 Nov vs England at London 30-22 (-) 

2014

1 Nov vs USA at Chicago 74-6 (+) 

15 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 24-16 (-) 

2015

8 Jul vs Samoa at Apia 25-16  

17 Jul vs Argentina at Christchurch 39-18  

8 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 19-27  

15 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 41-13  

20 Sep vs Argentina at London 26-16  

2 Oct vs Georgia at Cardiff 43-10  

9 Oct vs Tonga at Newcastle upon Tyne 47-9  

17 Oct vs France at Cardiff 62-13  

24 Oct vs South Africa at London 20-18  

31 Oct vs Australia at London 34-17  

POINTS SCORED FOR THE ALL BLACKS

t

c

p

dg

pts

vs Wales, 21 Jun 2003

1

6

1

-

20

vs France, 28 Jun 2003

-

2

4

-

16

vs Australia, 26 Jul 2003

1

1

-

-

7

vs Italy, 11 Oct 2003

1

6

-

-

17

vs Canada, 17 Oct 2003

-

9

-

-

18

vs Tonga, 24 Oct 2003

1

-

-

-

5

vs France, 20 Nov 2003

-

4

-

-

8

vs England, 12 Jun 2004

-

3

5

-

21

vs England, 19 Jun 2004

1

4

1

-

16

vs Pacific Islanders, 10 Jul 2004

-

4

1

-

11

vs Australia, 17 Jul 2004

-

1

3

-

11

vs South Africa, 24 Jul 2004

-

-

5

-

15

vs Australia, 7 Aug 2004

-

-

4

-

12

vs Italy, 13 Nov 2004

1

7

-

-

19

vs Wales, 20 Nov 2004

-

1

3

-

11

vs France, 27 Nov 2004

1

4

4

-

25

vs Fiji, 10 Jun 2005

1

5

-

-

15

vs British & Irish Lions, 25 Jun 2005

-

1

3

-

11

vs British & Irish Lions, 2 Jul 2005

2

4

5

-

33

vs South Africa, 6 Aug 2005

-

1

3

-

11

vs Australia, 13 Aug 2005

-

2

3

-

13

vs Wales, 5 Nov 2005

2

5

2

-

26

vs England, 19 Nov 2005

-

2

3

-

13

vs Argentina, 24 Jun 2006

1

2

2

-

15

vs Australia, 8 Jul 2006

-

3

2

-

12

vs South Africa, 22 Jul 2006

-

2

7

-

25

vs Australia, 29 Jul 2006

-

1

1

1

8

vs Australia, 19 Aug 2006

-

2

5

-

19

vs South Africa, 26 Aug 2006

-

4

4

-

20

vs South Africa, 2 Sep 2006

1

2

2

-

15

vs England, 5 Nov 2006

1

3

5

-

26

vs France, 11 Nov 2006

1

3

2

-

17

vs France, 18 Nov 2006

-

2

3

-

13

vs Wales, 25 Nov 2006

-

2

4

-

16

vs France, 2 Jun 2007

-

1

1

-

5

vs Canada, 16 Jun 2007

3

7

-

-

29

vs South Africa, 23 Jun 2007

-

2

3

-

13

vs Australia, 30 Jun 2007

-

1

1

-

5

vs South Africa, 14 Jul 2007

1

3

4

-

23

vs Australia, 21 Jul 2007

-

-

7

-

21

vs Italy, 8 Sep 2007

-

7

1

-

17

vs Scotland, 23 Sep 2007

1

2

2

-

15

vs France, 6 Oct 2007

-

1

2

-

8

vs Ireland, 7 Jun 2008

-

1

3

-

11

vs England, 14 Jun 2008

1

4

3

-

22

vs England, 21 Jun 2008

1

4

3

-

22

vs South Africa, 5 Jul 2008

-

1

4

-

14

vs South Africa, 12 Jul 2008

-

1

6

1

23

vs Australia, 26 Jul 2008

-

2

-

-

4

vs Australia, 2 Aug 2008

-

2

5

-

19

vs South Africa, 16 Aug 2008

1

2

-

-

9

vs Samoa, 3 Sep 2008

-

6

-

-

12

vs Australia, 13 Sep 2008

1

4

-

-

13

vs Australia, 1 Nov 2008

-

-

3

-

9

vs Scotland, 8 Nov 2008

-

1

-

-

2

vs Ireland, 15 Nov 2008

-

2

1

-

7

vs Wales, 22 Nov 2008

-

2

5

-

19

vs England, 29 Nov 2008

-

1

5

-

17

vs Australia, 22 Aug 2009

-

1

4

-

14

vs South Africa, 12 Sep 2009

-

2

5

-

19

vs Australia, 19 Sep 2009

-

3

4

-

18

vs Australia, 31 Oct 2009

-

2

6

-

22

vs Wales, 7 Nov 2009

-

1

4

-

14

vs England, 21 Nov 2009

-

1

4

-

14

vs France, 28 Nov 2009

-

4

2

-

14

vs Ireland, 12 Jun 2010

-

7

1

-

17

vs Wales, 19 Jun 2010

2

4

3

-

27

vs Wales, 26 Jun 2010

-

1

5

-

17

vs South Africa, 10 Jul 2010

-

3

2

-

12

vs South Africa, 17 Jul 2010

-

1

2

-

8

vs Australia, 31 Jul 2010

1

4

2

-

19

vs Australia, 7 Aug 2010

-

2

2

-

10

vs South Africa, 21 Aug 2010

-

1

4

-

14

vs Australia, 30 Oct 2010

-

3

1

-

9

vs England, 6 Nov 2010

-

2

4

-

16

vs Scotland, 13 Nov 2010

1

5

-

-

15

vs Ireland, 20 Nov 2010

-

3

4

-

18

vs Wales, 27 Nov 2010

-

3

2

-

12

vs Fiji, 22 Jul 2011

-

3

-

-

6

vs South Africa, 30 Jul 2011

-

2

2

-

10

vs Australia, 6 Aug 2011

-

3

2

1

15

vs Australia, 27 Aug 2011

-

2

2

-

10

vs Tonga, 9 Sep 2011

-

3

1

-

9

vs France, 24 Sep 2011

-

3

1

1

12

vs Ireland, 9 Jun 2012

-

4

3

-

17

vs Ireland, 16 Jun 2012

-

1

4

1

17

vs Australia, 18 Aug 2012

-

1

5

-

17

vs Australia, 25 Aug 2012

-

1

5

-

17

vs Argentina, 29 Sep 2012

-

3

2

-

12

vs South Africa, 6 Oct 2012

-

3

1

1

12

vs Australia, 20 Oct 2012

-

-

6

-

18

vs Scotland, 11 Nov 2012

-

6

3

-

21

vs England, 1 Dec 2012

-

2

-

-

4

vs France, 22 Jun 2013

-

1

4

-

14

vs Argentina, 7 Sep 2013

-

2

2

-

10

vs South Africa, 14 Sep 2013

-

1

-

-

2

vs Japan, 2 Nov 2013

-

5

-

-

10

vs France, 9 Nov 2013

-

1

4

-

14

vs England, 16 Nov 2013

-

2

1

-

7

vs USA, 1 Nov 2014

-

3

-

-

6

vs Scotland, 15 Nov 2014

-

-

3

-

9

vs Samoa, 8 Jul 2015

-

1

6

-

20

vs Argentina, 17 Jul 2015

-

4

2

-

14

vs Australia, 8 Aug 2015

-

-

3

-

9

vs Australia, 15 Aug 2015

-

5

2

-

16

vs Argentina, 20 Sep 2015

-

2

4

-

16

vs Georgia, 2 Oct 2015

-

4

-

-

8

vs Tonga, 9 Oct 2015

-

6

-

-

12

vs France, 17 Oct 2015

-

7

1

-

17

vs South Africa, 24 Oct 2015

-

2

1

1

10

vs Australia, 31 Oct 2015

-

2

4

1

19

Totals

29

293

281

8

1598

TEST RECORD BY NATION

P

W

D

L

t

c

p

dg

pts

Argentina

5

5

-

-

1

13

12

-

67

Australia

27

20

1

6

3

48

82

3

366

British & Irish Lions

2

2

-

-

2

5

8

-

44

Canada

2

2

-

-

3

16

-

-

47

England

11

10

-

1

4

28

34

-

178

Fiji

2

2

-

-

1

8

-

-

21

France

12

11

-

1

2

33

28

1

163

Georgia

1

1

-

-

-

4

-

-

8

Ireland

6

6

-

-

-

18

16

1

87

Italy

3

3

-

-

2

20

1

-

53

Japan

1

1

-

-

-

5

-

-

10

Pacific Islanders

1

1

-

-

-

4

1

-

11

Samoa

2

2

-

-

-

7

6

-

32

Scotland

5

5

-

-

2

14

8

-

62

South Africa

19

15

-

4

3

33

55

3

255

Tonga

3

3

-

-

1

9

1

-

26

USA

1

1

-

-

-

3

-

-

6

Wales

9

9

-

-

5

25

29

-

162

Totals

112

99

1

12

29

293

281

8

1598