KEY POINTS:
History shows the rugby World Cup is won by the team with the best first five-eighths which underscores the importance of pin-up pivot Daniel Carter in an All Blacks side desperate to end a 20-year drought.
Carter, 25, is openly rated by his peers and predecessors as the
best in the business, and he has accumulated the statistics to match.
His brief but stellar career is studded with international awards and record-breaking performances, headlined by an unequalled 33 points in the second Test against the British and Irish Lions in 2005.
It was that achievement which prompted Lions assistant coach Eddie O'Sullivan to first label the then 23-year-old Carter as the top No 10 in the world.
He has everything going for him - for the rugby afficinado he is an exceptional talent while his 1.78m, 91kg physique, stripped down as an underwear model for Jockey, has made him a hearthrob.
In football parlance, Carter is New Zealand's brand equivalent of David Beckham coupled with the playing genius of Cristiano Ronaldo which is why his rare form slump in the countdown to France 2007 has become a national concern.
Even on an off-day Carter is still one of the best, but playing in the sport's hottest cauldron - rugby-obsessed New Zealand - a slight drop in his lofty standards has made him the target of national criticism.
A couple of missed line kicks and penalty attempts, and an absence of his usual creativity when the All Blacks lost 15-20 to Australia in Melbourne, saw talkback radio flooded with amateur analysis.
It was a measure of Carter's character that he freely fronted up to his critics.
"I'm not overly happy with the way I'm playing and have room for improvement," the 2005 International Rugby Board's Player of the Year agreed.
But he is confident of regaining his peak powers by the time the World Cup reaches the crucial knockout stage.
"To improve I need to get involved and get the ball into my hand a lot more. I've got to be the general, call the moves and direct play."
It was a blunt admission from a player, known for his modesty and who remains the trump weapon in the All Blacks armoury despite his form.
"He's the best I've ever coached," says Wayne Smith, the All Blacks assistant coach and a former All Blacks first five-eighths.
"Anyone who works so hard, and is so damn tough, they're only going to be off their best for a short time.
"He'll be at his best when you need him to be at his best."
Canterbury Crusaders coach Robbie Deans, when he introduced Carter to Super-12 rugby as a 20-year-old, predicted he would be "a great All Black" and within months he was wearing the silver fern - first as an inside centre then moving to first five-eighths when Andrew Mehrtens retired from international play.
Five years on, Deans is more glowing in his praise of Carter. He entered the debate over the pivot's pre-World Cup form with an emphatic proclamation he was the "greatest (rugby) player ever. He can do everything. Name someone better."
On form, Carter is a master tactician. His defence is excellent, touch finding long, goal-kicking accurate, and with his great acceleration and broad sidestep he has become a celebrated match-winner with his point-scoring potential.
In 41 Tests for the All Blacks, Carter has scored 636 points including 20 tries while leading New Zealand point-scorer, 1987 World Cup winning pivot Grant Fox, scored only one try in 46 matches.
Fox believes Carter is a victim of the exceptionally high standards he has set for himself.
"We expect Daniel to put in world-class performances week-in, week-out, but that's just not reality," he said.
"You can really only perform at your absolute peak three or four times a year - the rest are going to be about 90 per cent of that capacity. And very occasionally you're going to have one below that and that's maybe what he's going through at the moment."
And the All Blacks need him at his best to continue an embedded fixture of match-winning flyhalves at the World Cup.
The inaugural trophy was won by the All Blacks with Fox in the No 10 jersey.
Australia's champion teams of 1991 and 1999 contained the brilliant Michael Lynagh and Stephen Larkham, Joel Stransky kicked South Africa to victory in 1995 as did Jonny Wilkinson for England in 2003.
As if aware of his possible place in history, Carter uncharacteristically attempted drop goals in this year's Tri-Nations series.
But not surprisingly, given his variable form, they were not successful.
- AFP