Reward for greatness
Carter, McCaw are special, says Thorn
IT was 2001 and Brad Thorn, Queensland rugby league greatturned New Zealand rugby union rookie, was having a quiet beer in a local pub when three young blokes came up to him.
They had recognised him from the TV, they said, and wanted to say hello. They chatted for a while and one mentioned that he played rugby for his high school team and was hoping to make a career of it.
“Good luck with that,” said Thorn and asked him his name.
“Daniel,” he said. “Daniel Carter.
“Two years later we were making our debuts for the All Blacks together in Hamilton,” Thorn said this week as Carter (pictured) and Kiwi captain Richie McCaw prepared to play their last Tests in tomorrow morning’s Rugby World Cup final against Australia.
“I’m happy that Richie has a chance to go out a winner but the guy I’m most pleased for is Dan. It’s been a tough last four years for him. He was gutted when he was injured and had to pull out of the last World Cup.
“I was gutted too. Not just for him but because of what we were hoping to achieve in that World Cup. We got there, but for him to get another chance is wonderful.
“They’ve both been such great players for New Zealand, and I was lucky to be there with them from the very start.”
Thorn first came into contact with McCaw in 2000 when he left the Brisbane Broncos and an enormously successful rugby league career to try his hand at rugby in New Zealand.
“After we beat the Roosters in the final I went over for a couple of months to get a feel for the place,” he said.
“I played a couple of sevena-side matches and some metropolitan games. Richie was just this young guy hanging around. The next year he got a few minutes here and there with the Crusaders but it wasn’t until the 2001 provincial championship that he really showed who he was.
“He was like Dan in that you could tell straight away he was something special. Guys like that, they have the talent and the physique but they also have the mindset and that’s what sets them apart. You just know they are going to do stuff.
“It’s like Michael Cheika. He goes to Leinster, they haven’t done anything, bang, they win the Heineken Cup. He goes to the Waratahs, they can never do the job, bang. They win the Super final. Now here he is at the Wallabies and they’re in the World Cup final. You don’t need to see Michael Cheika coach for 30 years to know he’s got what it takes, and you didn’t need long to see the same with Richie and Dan.”
But Thorn says there is another quality that sets the two All Black greats apart – mental strength.
“Daniel has been battered around,” he said. “Missing out in 2011 really hurt him and then he had an achilles strain. Some people doubted that he’d get back for this one but he’s back and he’s playing like the Dan Carter we know and love..
“The same with Richie. I could see they were still hurting after the 2007 World Cup. New Zealand Rugby did a review and there might have been some criticism of his captaincy. Between 2008 and 2011 he worked really hard on his leadership. Not all great players make great captains, but he has got good people around him and if you look at his record now, it is outstanding.”