CARTER: I AIM TO BE LIKE JONNY
DAN CARTER made his grand entrance at Racing 92 yesterday — eventually. The Kiwi icon was briefly locked out of the training ground when he arrived by car, but once inside he revealed his ambition to emulate a former English adversary.
The 33-year-old All Black signed off his Test career with the ultimate flourish last month, guiding New Zealand to World Cup glory at Twickenham before being named World Player of the Year the following night.
After embracing the celebrations back home and a publicity drive for the launch of his autobiography, Carter landed in the French capital yesterday and promptly set out his stall to make a positive impact.
He did just that by drawing a crowd to Racing’s plush base in the Paris suburb of Plessis-Robinson with a huge media presence in place for the unveiling of the club’s prized new asset. But once he gets down to work on Monday, the target will be to follow the example set by Jonny Wilkinson.
England’s own World Cupwinning No 10 became a cult hero at Toulon in the closing stages of his illustrious career. His exploits struck a chord with Carter and, when asked if he hoped to match them, he said: ‘That would be amazing. He won multiple European championships, he won the Top 14, too, and he had an amazing time here in France.
‘When I was following the end of his career, I took a bit of inspiration from that. A lot of people had probably written him off but it revived his career and he finished on a real high. I can only dream of the success that he had here. We’ll have to wait and see.’
Wilkinson spoke French from the moment he arrived on the Cote d’Azur and that endeared him to the locals. Carter is not yet as linguistically adept, but explained that taking lessons is an urgent priority. Nevertheless, despite reaching Charles de Gaulle airport at 7am, he charmed and joked his way through a one-hour press conference with aplomb.
There was no escaping the sombre backdrop to the occasion. New Zealand’s poster-boy arrived in Paris just as French president Francois Hollande was leading a nationwide day of remembrance, two weeks on from the terrorist attacks in the capital which claimed so many lives.
Carter revealed that after initial shock and sympathy for those affected by the horrific events, he sought assurances about the situation he and his young family would face. His concerns were alleviated.
‘At first I was just shocked with what happened,’ he said. ‘I didn’t even think about my future here.
‘Later on, I started to think about the move, but it’s important that life continues. There has been so much reassurance about the city of Paris from the people we talked to. It gave us confidence that life has gone on here, so nothing changed. I’m still just as excited about starting a new chapter here.
‘It’s never easy, coming from such a safe place like New Zealand. It’s probably harder for the friends and family you’re leaving behind, but I’m sure they’ll be over here visiting in no time!’
THIS afternoon, Carter will be presented to Racing fans at the home game against Toulouse. The fixture was due to take place at the Stade de France but had to be switched to Stade Yves du Manoir after terrorists targeted the stadium, and there will be heightened security.
While that serious subject had to be broached, there were lighter notes. There was clarification that Carter would be earning 1million euros (£700,000) per season at Racing, rather than a higher figure which has been reported here. Later, he was asked if it was a shame that he had to move abroad to earn good money, drawing the quick retort: ‘You can make pretty good money in New Zealand too!’
This weekend, the priority will be to shake off jetlag and settle into a house in nearby Meudon. At one stage, having been less-thansubtly prompted, Carter invited the assembled media to a barbecue at his new home tomorrow, in return for help unpacking.
From Monday, he will prepare for this last chapter of his career, with hunger and drive still intact. Having admitted to ‘doubts’ about his fitness earlier this year, he feels in shape for the task.
‘Mentally, I feel really fresh,’ said Carter. ‘When you’re mentally fresh and excited, your body will follow. I’m going to get a few more years out of the old body yet.’
That process will start next month, with home and away European ties against Northampton.