Cometh the hour, cometh the Dan: Carter's final intervention was microcosm of a gilded career
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Updated 01/11/2015 at 09:06 GMT
Alex Dimond was at Twickenham to watch the imperious Daniel Carter end his glorious career in a style befitting the sport's A-list superstar. When Australia threatened to recover, Carter merely reminded us why he is such a special talent representing arguably the greatest sports team in history.
Family values: Carter celebrates with his relatives.
Image credit: Resmi Siteden Alınmıştır
For the game’s A-list superstar, it turned out there would be indeed be the Hollywood ending he craved.
Penalties, conversions, a pivotal drop-goal - it was Dan Carter delivering all of them as he steered New Zealand to a deserved victory in the World Cup final, all the while offering a surgical precision that served as a fitting epigraph for an illustrious career.
With 10 minutes remaining at Twickenham, the All Blacks had seen an 18-point advantage whittled away to just four as Australia found new depths of resolve in their pursuit of a comeback.
Thirty-five metres from goal as he received the ball, Carter seemed to have neither the time nor the space to unleash a drop goal yet he somehow found enough of both, unleashing a dagger of a strike that split the posts.
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Dan Carter is congratulated by Prince Harry.
Image credit: Eurosport
Carter, his eyes never leaving the ball, roared at it not once but twice as it carried the crossbar.
Little wonder Prince Harry felt so privileged to be in the company of true sporting royalty as he hugged New Zealand's leading man while handing out the baubles.
“I was just telling the ball, “Go! Go!,’” Carter, understated even in his crowning moment, said afterwards. “It was a great relief to see it go over.”
Seven points clear, New Zealand had a measure of control back. A Carter penalty from the halfway line then seemed to clinch things beyond all doubt, before Beaten Barrett’s late breakaway try put an added gloss on the final 34-17 scoreline.
After injury robbed him of the chance to play the conclusion of the last World Cup, on home soil, this was a delayed gratification the 33-year-old surely never even dared to dream about. Man of the match, Carter finished with 19 points (missing just one of his kicks), his stabilising presence from such chances laying the foundation as tries from Ma’a Nonu, Nehe Milner-Shudder and Barrett put Australia against the wall.
“I’m pretty grateful to be where I am after what happened four years ago,” added Carter.
“I’ve been working extremely hard over the last few years … I’m just so proud of the team. To win back to back World Cups, it’s a dream come true.”
The first team to defend a World Cup, New Zealand are now also the first to win the event three times in their history. After the barren run between 1987 and 2011 that led so many to wonder if the sport’s pre-eminent nation had a mental block in its showpiece tournament, it speaks to the character and class of players like Carter, Richie McCaw, Kieran Read and Nonu that they have now transferred the dominance that has long been evident at Test level to the greatest stage.
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New Zealand's team performs the haka with the Webb Ellis trophy as they celebrate after winning the Rugby World Cup Final against Australia at Twickenham in London
Image credit: Le Buzz
“We lost a bit of momentum in the second half, but we kept our composure and came home strong. That’s been an All Black theme,” McCaw, who many expect to now follow Carter into international retirement, said.
“When you get moments like that, why would you ever call it a day?”
Away from the sport Carter is known to be an avid collector of superhero paraphenalia, and it is perhaps instructive that his favourite is ‘The Phantom’ - a hero with no super power, a fighter who instead relies on his strength and intelligence to find a way to defeat his foes.
This is not dissimilar to Carter in the twilight of his career; the 33-year-old may have lost some of the speed and athleticism that made him such a consummate threat even when he emerged on the scene, but he has gained a cerebral control of the game - and refined his passing to an almost unparalleled level - that means he out-thinks opponents where once he would out-move then.
This surgical precision - so much harder for opponents to counter - was in evidence throughout events at Twickenham, a counterpoint to the more primate, physical (but equally important) advantages offered by McCaw, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitlock and the rest.
They pushed, Carter kicked, and eventually the combined pressure saw their opponents crumble.
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Dan Carter of New Zealand reacts on the final whistle after winning their Rugby World Cup final match against Australia at Twickenham in London
Image credit: Le Buzz
It was to Australia’s credit that they took advantage of the brief spell that the door was left ajar to turn this into a classic contest, but the final result was what the overall tournament warranted.
“They thoroughly deserved to win, best team all tournament,” skipper Stephen Moore acknowledged.
“I’m proud of the effort we showed. Sometimes you come up against a better team - that was us tonight.”
If Carter was the victim of the injury curse in 2011, then it was Australia who suffered worst on that front in this final. Forward Kane Douglas was forced off through injury inside the first 10 minutes before centre Matt Giteau - the closest Michael Cheika’s side had to a cerebral, Carter-esque presence among their own backs - was forced off with concussion after a clash with Brodie Retallick.
In contrast, New Zealand were lucky to avoid similar losses in a sport that takes an increasing toll.
"There is a no excuse mentality,” Cheika said. “We wanted to challenge them as best we could, I thought we did that tonight but we still came up short.”
Injuries surely did not help their chances but in truth they were on the back foot from the off. Caught on camera at the captain’s walkthrough, Cheika’s pre-match notes called for Australia to “rattle” their opponents, but it was the opposite that happened. New Zealand were responsible for the biggest early tackles of the match, and their initial physicality slowly allowed Carter to kick them into a 9-3 lead.
But the strain of that pressurised start perhaps only told just before the break, after Milner-Skudder crossed in the corner following brilliant attacking lines from Conrad Smith and Richie McCaw. 16-9 as the teams went in, it seemed the All Blacks finally had control.
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New Zealand players celebrate after beating Australia to win the Rugby World Cup final match at Twickenham in London
Image credit: Le Buzz
They made it 21-3 soon after the restart, before Ben Smith - another contender for the tournament’s best player? - was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle. Australia drove over through the imperious David Pocock moments later and then Tevita Kuridrani drove for the line brilliantly seconds before Smith was allowed to return, putting the tie in the balance.
Then Carter, so calm and clinical, produced the proverbial hand-off with his left foot to leave Australia on the floor.
“I’m not much of a rugby historian,” Moore said, when asked about the place of Carter and McCaw in the pantheon. “But every time we play them it’s tough. I know that much.”
Watching on from the sidelines four years ago, this was Carter’s moment. When the team was just threatening to wobble, he guided them home.
“Worry is a waste of emotion,” Steve Hansen, the New Zealand coach, offered. “We have to plan for these things, it is about making sure you’ve got every element knowing what they need to do.
“He [Carter] is one of the great players. For him to come out and show all his skills, in this game, is pretty special.”
Alex Dimond - @alexdimond
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