Daniel Carter has long be the man to turn to when the All Blacks (as well as the Crusaders), needed what most like to call, a “play-maker”.
However, it is becoming ever clearer that Carter has passed his prime and is starting to become more of a liability than an asset to any team due to ongoing struggles to make it through a game without picking up some sort of injury. Carter is set to miss yet another round of the Super Rugby competition after picking up a lower right leg injury in the first game of the season, an injury that was obtained after extending himself a little too far in order to catch a pass.
While I am fully aware Carter will be leaving New Zealand after the Rugby World Cup later this year to join French club Racing Metro 92 in one of the biggest deals in Rugby Union history, the more pressing issue is his place in the New Zealand Rugby World Cup squad and whether it is both fair and realistic to keep him in the squad when his fitness is a constant issue.
Like most of the All Blacks, Carter’s super rugby franchise team, the Crusaders, are expected to field him as much as possible in order to give him as much game time in the lead up to the World Cup, despite the fact he is no longer the in form flyhalf and could potentially be taking the place of another player who is both fitter and quicker than he is.
Carter offers a massive amount in terms of ball skills and the “smart” rugby he is able to play, making decisive and clear decisions during plays that more often than not translate in point scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, his kicking success has dropped substantially, taking away one of the biggest factors that influences the decision with selecting him. Colin Slade, who ended last season on a notable high after a call back to the black jersey, has easily slipped into the flyhalf position for the Crusaders and is in no rush to hand that position back.
With his position in the franchise team under threat, the picture is no brighter on an international level. Hurricanes flyhalf Beauden Barrett and Chiefs flyhalf Aaron Cruden both push their way higher up the list of potential starting players due to being younger, fitter and in much better form the world class veteran. While the decision had been made a while back that these three players would be heading to the WC, I don’t believe Carter’s inclusion is a realistic idea anymore.
Steve Hansen is known to be a coach who sticks with what works, who picks players that have previously performed to the level he expects (think Sonny Bill Williams) and this may prove to a be failing character trait if he decides to stick with Carter and his “greatest flyhalf of his generation” label.
As an All Blacks fan myself, I would love to see Dan Carter in the black jersey one last time before he takes his departing bow, but I am also aware the selecting Carter means the exclusion of another player that could contribute the reliability that is needed. The player I believe should take his place is the very player currently moving into the Crusaders flyhalf position, Colin Slade.
In the end of year tour last year, Slade was out playing both Cruden and Barrett in the number 10 jersey and was the only one of the three who had any kind of consistency when it came to his kicking game.
Carter could easily recover from his latest injury quickly, allowing himself ample time to get back into the swing of things before September rolls around. He is one of the most experienced players in New Zealand rugby at the moment, experience that will prove vital in a conquest for another World Cup title. But a burning question that needs to be considered is the mental toll these kinds of injuries can have on him.
A player who is constantly worrying about picking up an injury at anytime during a game will be of no use to a team both mentally and physically. This and many other questions floating around the topic, can only be answered when the time finally arrives for the team to be selected and the games actually begin. What is for certain is that regardless of how the decision goes, not everyone will be on board.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow my Twitter account – @Cosmo_13_
Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
“Main Photo:”
