News

Carter looking to raise the bar

August 15 2008

It has, in all fairness, been one of the most exciting Tri-Nations tournaments for many a year and this weekend will again prove crucial as both South Africa and New Zealand put their hopes on the line.

If all else was considered equal between the sides you would look to one man, in an All Black shirt, to be the deciding factor - Dan Carter. Not because he is New Zealand's only match winner, they have another twenty-one of those at hand, but because he is that good.

Ever since bursting onto the scene in 2003, with a 20-point haul on debut against Wales, Carter has been writing headlines with awe-inspiring displays on a frighteningly consistent basis. There is no team too big for Carter, no occasion too daunting, he is the world's best for a reason.

And yet despite all of this Carter strikes you as a well-rounded and honest individual. At the team press day he is, as one would expect, mobbed by questions from the moment he enters the room, taking it all in his stride. Once the frenzy has died down he cuts a forlorn figure on his own, the first round of questions answered, plenty more to come on Saturday.

Carter has played a starring role in New Zealand's last two Tests, albeit in contrasting styles, and knows how important it is for him, and New Zealand, to build on their razzle-dazzle display in Auckland.

Before Auckland came Sydney, where New Zealand were out-foxed and out-classed, although as good as Australia were they had no answer to Carter's brilliance. Everything that was good about New Zealand that night stemmed from Carter and his ability to make world class defences look average, at best, with his running game.

Again in Auckland he was the catalyst behind New Zealand's revival, only this time he played a more conservative game, but to an equally devastating effect. He enabled New Zealand to set a new standard, a standard that, by his own admission, has to be matched from now on.

"It's very important to keep those standards going as we move forward," Carter explained in an exclusive interview with Planet Rugby.

"Our backs had been against the wall before that Test in Auckland and we just had to win. And you know, to be fair, I think we are in the same position here.

"The Tri-Nations is up for grabs and we have to win the game. So it is about getting the motivation and desire we had for the Auckland Test for this game now.

"It's going to be another huge challenge for us and I believe we need to improve on our game from Auckland if we are to come out of here with the desired result."

As with all world class performers, and teams, Carter knows he, and New Zealand for that matter, can ill afford to believe there is nothing left for them to work on. As good as the display in Auckland was there are fresh challenges that lie in waiting, namely the Springboks at Newlands on Saturday, and Carter stressed the need to improve again.

"It was a good display but the Springboks will present us with an entirely different challenge again," he said.

"They will provide us with different opportunities and different circumstances than the Wallabies did, so we always need to be evolving our game.

"The Springboks are a side who like to cut down your time and space with the ball so we need to look at a way of adjusting our game to counter that.

"It will be a totally different style of game so you can't really judge it too much on our last outing.

"The Test in Dunedin proved that this weekend is going to be a massive challenge for us, anyone who can come there and win is a decent team in my books."

The very mention of Dunedin brought a steely look to Carter's face, as if there was unfinished business bothering him. New Zealand had never lost to South Africa in Dunedin before, and that defeat ensured they are the only side to have lost at home to date in this year's tournament. So will the All Blacks be looking for revenge on Saturday?

"It's not really about that," Carter stressed.

"Obviously we want to win more because the Tri-Nations is on the line for us, rather than going out there just to beat them for the Dunedin Test.

"We really want to keep the Tri-Nations alive and to do that we have to win, no excuses."

That's one thing you wont hear from Carter, excuses simply don't wash with him. You are either good enough to win or you're not, its as simple as that. So any suggestion that a week's break since their last game will be a problem is rubbished, as Carter believes it has actually been a help.

"Yeah it's a week off from rugby but we are still training hard," he said.

"It does help though, coming off two really tough Test matches against the Wallabies it is good just to get a bit of a break and re-focus towards this game."

What of this game then? Such has been the nature of this tournament that both sides have dominated each other in the two previous Tests, so Carter knows where his side's strengths lie.

"We will be looking for more of the same as in Wellington really," Carter continued.

"We need to look to dominate them up front, and if we can do that our game will flow from there. It will enable the backs to have a little more time on the ball, which is going to be crucial if we are to get the win.

"And there is no getting away from the fact we have to be ultra clinical, as the Springboks are not going to present us with too many chances at home.

"If we can take our chances and keep an advantage in the forwards then we have a real shot at winning this one."

A glance back through his career will tell you Carter thrives on the big matches, 33 points in the second Test against the British and Irish Lions attest to that, and as far as New Zealand's Tri-Nations goes this is as big as it gets. Don't be surprised to see Carter deliver another consummate display then.

By Marcus Leach in Cape Town