Carter move gives his dad the Blues

Wellington – Dan Carter’s shock decision to join the Blues has riled up fans of his former side Crusaders to such an extent that even his father hopes the former All Blacks flyhalf will be on the losing team when they meet in July.

The 38-year-old Carter, who played for the Crusaders from 2003-15 before moving to France, surprised many fans this week when he signed with the Blues for New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aotearoa competition, which starts on 13 June.

The Canterbury-Auckland rivalry is the fiercest in domestic rugby and Carter’s father Neville said he would back his hometown Crusaders over his son and his new Blues team-mates.

“It’s pretty straightforward,” he told Newstalk ZB yesterday. “The Crusaders are always going to get my support.

“And I’ll just keep my fingers crossed he’s not going to get smashed by them.

“I did say to him: ‘You may be getting a bit of a bad reception when you get down our way.’”