‘There is a lot of Carter about Richie Mo’unga’
Comparing a young man like Richie Mo’unga to the legendary Dan Carter could be considered an unnecessary burden before the biggest game of his career.
Leon Macdonald clearly isn’t worried that bestowing such heady praise on the Crusaders first five-eighth will cause him to freeze against the British and Irish Lions tonight, because he had the northern media filling their pads at a rapid rate with his comments on the eve of the blockbuster at AMI Stadium.
‘‘There is a lot of Dan Carter about Richie Mo’unga,’’ Macdonald, the exall Blacks fullback now employed as the assistant backs coach at the Crusaders, said.
‘‘Very rarely do you see him rattled at all, at any level. He is pretty casual, enjoys a laugh and is a bit of a joker. And I think you need that temperament as a No 10 because there is a lot of pressure.’’
There is no need to go into great detail about what Carter achieved with the All Blacks, Crusaders and Canterbury. You either know about him, or you don’t.
For those who do have some knowledge of the man from Southbridge, who now earns the big bucks playing for the Racing Metro club in Paris, the game they will remember most is the second test between the All Blacks and Lions in Wellington in 2005.
If you had filled the Cake Tin with dishwater that night, Carter could probably have walked across it. Everything went to plan. He scored 33 points, including two tries, in the 48-18 victory, and Carter-mania was born.
Inevitably, that performance 12 years ago was mentioned in a follow-up question in relation to Macdonald’s earlier comments and he tried to dim the spotlight a touch.
‘‘I don’t want to put pressure on Richie and say there is a Dan Carter performance brewing, but
there are similarities to his game,’’ Macdonald added.
Macdonald, who also noted he liked the way Mo’unga has been able to deal with the ‘‘big personalities’’ among his teammates, can dig into a deep well of knowledge when it comes to imparting knowledge about the Lions.
He played two tests, as well as for the New Zealand Maori, against the Lions in 2005 so if Mo’unga needs a calm voice to settle his nerves he knows which direction to travel.
But if you listen to his backs coach, he probably won’t be required. He says Mo’unga, 23, takes responsibility for his actions, grafts diligently and remains calm.
‘‘He is really tough on himself, always wants to get better but has that nice balance to his life. He just doesn’t let the pressure get on his shoulders. At some stage I think
we will see him in the black jersey.’’
There will also be plenty of interest in Mo’unga’s opposite, Lions No 10 Owen Farrell, at AMI Stadium. Farrell, a rugged
defender with England and his Saracens club, could nudge his way ahead of Johnny Sexton and Dan Biggar for test selection, if he can help his side dictate terms.
With Conor Murray at halfback,
a dominant contributor during Ireland’s historic win over the All Blacks in Chicago last year, the Lions can vary their kicking game. In addition to having a forward pack capable of hogging chunks of
precious possession, they are expected to try and swamp the Crusaders with their blitz defence.
‘‘Any team is vulnerable if you are able to get quick ball,’’ Macdonald stated. ‘‘And that is the
challenge for us, against their team who are very good defensively. We have experienced a lot of line-speed through the Super season, so it won’t be new to us.’’