All Black player Dan Carter kicks the ball through during the match between the All Blacks and Manu Samoa held at Apia Park in Apia on the island of 'Upolu, Samoa. It is the first time that the All Bl
All Black player Dan Carter kicks the ball through during the match between the All Blacks and Manu Samoa held at Apia Park in Apia on the island of 'Upolu, Samoa. It is the first time that the All Bl
He survived the toughest of tests at Apia Park and now Dan Carter is focusing on another with emotional significance - playing for the All Blacks in Christchurch for the final time.
Crucially, Carter came through the 80 minutes uninjured despite attracting the attention of several Manu Samoa players eagerto leave their mark, and he is in pole position to retain the No10 jersey against Argentina at AMI Stadium on Friday next week.
Beauden Barrett is his main competition, but with Carter kicking seven from eight and playing a crucial part in George Moala's try by putting a well-weighted cross-kick into his hands, one of Canterbury's favourite sons is likely to get the honour of the chance for a repeat performance.
Leg injuries meant Carter played only one of the two tests in the United Kingdom last November; after being considered underdone for the England test he started against Scotland and his lack of match fitness was quickly apparent. He didn't play in the final game against Wales in Cardiff.
Now, though, he has every chance of taking advantage of the absence from Samoa of Hurricanes' first-five Barrett in the first test of the Rugby Championship and possibly the World Cup before he moves to Paris.
"I guess there will be a few emotions," he said. "Just like the Samoan boys who played today - it was a great place for them to play in front of their friends and family. You could tell it meant so much to them. I love playing in Christchurch - every time I play there in the black jersey it just means something special. For it to be last game in the black jersey there will mean a lot and I'll just do whatever I can to be a part of that game."
This test needed an experienced and calm head and the All Blacks certainly have that with Carter. The acceleration of old may not be there, but his ability to guide a team around a park remains intact.
Carter said he was relatively satisfied with his performance, but would like to have moved the hard-charging Manu Samoa defence around a bit more.
"There was space out in the wide channels. We managed to get the ball there with some success but not as often as we would have liked. The physicality was right up there and you expect that every time you come up against a Pacific Islands team. That was good and actually just what we needed in the first game of the season."
He said of the defence and need to bounce back up after being steamrolled on one occasion: "You have to embrace it - it's a challenge to look forward to. A few guys took a few big hits early and also our teammates gave a few as well. It puts you in good stead for the rest of the year. It's not going to be the only big hit I'm going to receive this year.
"I was reasonably happy. The kicking went well and my body felt better than it has for the last couple of years. I was running freely and getting plenty of game time for a change is a real positive."
