It’s great to be back, but I want to be the best out on the pitch
HE IS the leading stand-off in the world game since taking Jonny Wilkinson’s crown. The ‘Lionel Messi’ of rugby, a player whose mercurial talent has only grown each year since he made his international debut as a confident and creative playmaker in 2003.
But, as he sat smiling yesterday in an Edinburgh hotel, agreeing with coaches’ comments that he is like a young kid again as he looked forward to a first start for the All Blacks in almost a year, Dan Carter admitted he had suffered doubts during a torturous 12 months on the sidelines.
He came back to the game this summer, only to suffer a broken leg playing for the Crusaders in the Super Rugby Final in July, and the 32-year- old revealed he began to wonder if the All Blacks jersey was disappearing for good.
‘There has been a lot of frustration throughout the year,’ he said. ‘Doubt has crept in at certain periods.
‘There are all sorts of don’ts with your body when you have had injuries like I’ve had. That’s probably the biggest thing. In the darkest times you question whether you’ll ever get the chance to put the jersey on again. It is normally straight after an injury you get that, but you soon get out of that hole and move on.
Just getting through the match is not good enough for me
‘Once you get over that and get back to your plan and your goals, you become more focused on what needs to be done. For me to get back into the position where I’m able to play for the All Blacks once again is a great challenge. But at the same time it’s just the start.
‘I’m not finished or happy with where I am at. It’s just an opportunity to continue to grow and make the most of this moment.’
It is understandable that he has had doubts about whether his body will last, with a series of injuries having ruined some of his dreams. Carter’s misery goes back to the 2011 World Cup, where injury in training forced an early exit from the tournament the All Blacks would go on to win in their home country.
He experienced the woes of going i nto two previous tournaments as favourites and being unceremoniously dumped out of the competition before the final. And Carter admitted yesterday that the prospect of helping the team retain the Webb Ellis Trophy next year was a key motivation in him turning down rumoured multi-million pound offers to return to France, where he had a brief sojourn with Perpignan in 2008, or play in Japan.
Despite the problems of the past f ew years, Carter has played in 101 Test matches, winning 89 of them, and by 2010 had become the highest pointsscorer in world rugby. His tally now sits at 1,446 and despite a lack of match practice, he will be seeking to kick closer to the 1,500 mark at BT Murrayfield — and claim his 30th try in the act of steering New Zealand to a 28th victory over Scotland.
‘There is a lot of competition throughout the squad and it is for the guys who are playing this weekend to make a claim and keep pushing the coaches for selection,’ he said.
‘You have to be realistic. There has been a lack of preparation, but I have had a couple of good weeks and I have worked extremely hard. I’m not just going to be happy getting through the match.
‘Every time I pull on the black jersey I want to be one of the best players out there, if not the best. That’s what I will be striving to do this weekend — doing everything I can to help the All Blacks get the win and performance they will be satisfied with. Just getting through it is not enough. I want to walk off the pitch happy with my performance.’
Alongside All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw as New Zealand’s l eading sports star, Carter treads a neat l i ne between confidence and humility that always seems to succeed in drawing one closer to him. He was the same yesterday, and while making clear his intent, he was quick to reveal his respect for the host team.
‘I’ve looked at a few of the clips and they were really exciting (against Argentina),’ Carter continued. ‘They have more of an expansive game plan, which is probably Vern Cotter’s influence. I think they will have a lot of confidence after last week — they threw the ball around and scored some good tries.
‘Defensively, we will have to be right on our game. We really respect the Scottish side and what they’re capable of. We are in for a real Test match on Saturday.’
But, in case we were in any doubt that his smile was false, he added: ‘There is a lot of excitement about starting this weekend.
‘It has been almost 12 months since the last time I started for the All Blacks and I’ve talked a lot about what the jersey means to me, so to have another opportunity to put the No 10 jersey on is very exciting.
‘I have enjoyed this week. I’ve had to work hard to get here and now I want to make the most of the opportunity.’
Scotland have been warned. Rugby’s ‘Messi’ has returned and has no intentions of playing his way back in slowly.