It's Carter, Tom Carter
May 08 2008
Hailed by coach Ewen McKenzie as the unsung hero in the Waratahs' charge up the Super 14 ladder, rookie centre Tom Carter has emerged as a revelation this season and is ready for whatever is dished up to him - including Jean de Villiers.
After injury robbed him of his long-awaited Super Rugby debut in 2007, Carter has capitalised on the departures of Morgan Turinui and Chris Siale and leapfrogged Sam Harris to establish himself as the Waratahs first-choice inside centre this season.
The late-blooming 25-year-old faces the biggest test of his short career when he comes up against the Stormers in what has been billed as the match to watch in the penultimate thirteenth round of the Super 14.
The Waratahs were at their attacking best against the Sharks two weeks ago but dropped off considerably in the heavy rain against the Bulls in front of a mere 13,000 supporters in Pretoria.
The Waratahs have felt cursed this season for the persistent wet weather plaguing their games - seven out of 11 have seen rain or a wet track.
Although the weather and the Bulls hapless attempt to defend their title can be partly blamed for the tumbleweed at Loftus Versfeld, Saturday's match at Newlands Stadium is already a sell-out.
"It was certainly quiet but it was also still very daunting playing at Loftus Versfeld," Carter told Planet Rugby.
"One must remember that they are the defending champions, so we expected a hostile reception and in the end they won.
"So I think it was a very difficult environment to play in.
"I've been told on numerous occasions by the older heads in the squad that Newlands is one of the most incredible places in the world to play in.
"We're expecting it to be an incredible atmosphere, very electric early on and pretty vocal."
With two points separating them from the Stormers, the game will have a huge impact on the Waratahs' semi-finals chances.
The winners could find themselves with a clear pathway to a home semi-final and - pending the results of other games - the losers could find themselves dumped out of the top four with one round left to play.
"It was really disappointing not to get a result up there in Pretoria," said Carter.
"They probably played better than us and we didn't execute how we wanted to play which is always a disappointing thing.
"We just want to right those wrongs this weekend, play our own game and hopefully get a good result.
"The Stormers are a fantastic side, probably the in-form team in the competition, so we're under no illusions. Especially with a place in the semi-finals on the line, it's winner takes all really."
The Waratahs must be ready to match the Stormers on every front.
The Stormers have been known to start well, although they tend to lose their intensity after scoring points early, as they did against the Brumbies, with their half-time score of 20-0 ending up 20-10.
The same can be said of the Waratahs performance against the Bulls. They led 7-0 after eight minutes, then botched a near-certain try in the 15th minute before losing 16-13.
However it's in the second half where the Waratahs have often left it late to turn things around.
Besides their loss in a spirited fightback against the Chiefs, the Waratahs have come from behind to win against the Highlanders, Brumbies and the Western Force this season.
Against the Lions and the Sharks, the Waratahs had to make up for a 0-0 and 3-0 half-time score to win 26-3 and 25-10 respectively.
"The Stormers certainly lay the platform in the first half," said Carter.
"But at the end of the day, they always seem to walk away with the result. So to their credit, it's something they really good at. But I wouldn't look too much into it.
"Their victory over the Hurricanes was outstanding. They (the Hurricanes) are obviously another one of the form teams in the tournament and they got another really vital win there.
"There is no denying that the Stormers are a strong side - not just in the opening forty minutes - so it's going to be really tough out there.
"As for our second half performances, yes we've left it late and come out on top. But that's the nature of the new laws (ELVs)," added Carter.
"A lot of teams can compete and stay in it for the first half, and we obviously seem to find our rhythm a bit later than we would like."
Unlike his trans-Tasman nemesis of the same surname, Carter may not yet be on the tip of people's tongues. But what he does give you is a tradesmanlike performance with every minute spent on the pitch.
And that's not the simple stuff of carrying the ball across the advantage line. His real added value for the Waratahs has been in the unrewarded parts of the game like chasing kicks and taking advantage of the new laws with busy breaks with an against the run of play.
"It (ELVs) has been very good and suits my game very well," said Carter.
"Having played Sevens Rugby in an early part of my career, I enjoy that free-flowing style of football.
"We do a lot more running in the backs so it's very enjoyable. No complaints."
Carter has repaid coach Ewen McKenzie for giving him regular starts in the number twelve jersey this year and his combination with youngster Rob Horne is proving to be particularly important for the "Baby Waratahs" backline.
With Horne just 18-years of age, we asked if Carter feels the need to act as babysitter when the going gets tough.
"Not at all. I may be older than him, but we're still both very inexperienced," said Carter.
"We feed off Lote [Tuqiri], he's probably the senior custodian and a lot of our forwards who have been around for so many years have been showing us the ropes - they just incredible people to play with.
"In the backs, Kurtley Beale has done really well this year and with Lote and Sam Norton-Knight outside us, we can't really go wrong."
Carter will need all the support and experience he can get against opposite number Jean de Villiers, who has been in scintillating form for the Stormers this season.
"De Villiers is almost like an idol to me," admitted Carter.
"He's just such a fantastic player and has been on top his game for a really long time.
"It will be a really good test, so hopefully I can put in a good performance in against him.
"He's not a Springbok centre for nothing, and with Gcobani Bobo on his outside we expecting them to throw everything at us."
By Dave Morris