All Blacks: Carter calm ahead of the Rugby World Cup storm

Dan Carter had questions coming thick and fast. Photo / Getty Images

It's not often Daniel Carter waits for questions. Especially with the foreign media in the room.

Usually they want to interrogate him about every subject from his latest suit preference to his aftershave and then all rugby matters.

But yesterday the star All Black five-eighths waited for seven questions put to Israel Dagg and Richard Kahui before he got into the action.

Most times Carter appears to be in a Buddhist-like trance as he eases through a myriad requests and inquiries about life. He was in that tranquil zone again before he was quizzed about any noticeable lift in intensity and pressure before tomorrow's pool match with France.

Yeah, a little bit, he suggested. The test was important.

It was classic Carter.

There was no shaking him about his preferred halfback choice, no chance of him siding with Piri Weepu, Andy Ellis or Jimmy Cowan, they were all quality players, he said, and he had enjoyed all of their work.

Carter had not thought about the Cardiff collapse against France in the 2007 World Cup quarter-final, he was concentrating on the challenge tomorrow. After the World Cup shock he spent a couple of months travelling the globe and when he returned to New Zealand, he was well over the disappointment and shock.

His advice to novice colleagues such as Dagg and Kahui was to be wary of the French passion and to concentrate on their own portfolios.

France could be unpredictable and the All Blacks needed to have real faith in their defensive systems otherwise they would be vulnerable to French

"Defensively you have to be right on the button for 80 minutes and really try and overpower them there," Carter said, "And if you do that you can be successful."

The selection of Morgan Parra - a very talented player - at first five-eighths rather than his usual halfback role caught Carter by surprise.

"Obviously the coach is wanting to try something in the big occasion and thrown him in there," Carter said.

"He is an extremely talented footballer and a great kicker of the ball so I am sure he will go well."

Carter played a 2008/09 season for Perpignan in France which was abbreviated by injury.

He is still managing some back spasms which have curtailed his training with the All Blacks in the past week.

"I am confident where I am at the moment," he said, "and confident it will be no problem come game time."