Carter vs Larkham always a spectacle to savour

Dan Carter was switched from midfield to No 10 in 2004. Picture / Mark Mitchell

Away from his work, Daniel Carter's demeanour is at odds with his All Black play. He is almost impassive, his conversation is very matter of fact verging on the expressionless.

They are traits he shares with his Wallaby opposite Stephen Larkham, who was so phlegmatic his teammates dubbed him Bernie, after the corpse in the movie Weekend at Bernie's.

Tomorrow, though, in Brisbane, the cadavers will come alive on their canvas, the territory inside the whitewash at Suncorp Stadium where their duel at first five-eighths will go a long way towards deciding Bledisloe Cup II.

As placid as they are out of their rugby gear, Carter and Larkham are the beacons for their backline, the hub of the All Black and Wallaby fortunes.

They both have wondrous skills, their instincts are usually about attack and their range of talents plays havoc with indolent defenders. Larkham is heading into his 88th test while Carter will tick off his 28th international.

Both are near the peak of their powers although Carter, at 24, has an eight-year advantage over Larkham in their countdown to stay in shape for next year's World Cup.

They have both needed serious panelbeating in their careers, Carter broke a bone in his leg last season against the Wallabies while Larkham has battled a melanoma on his leg, concussion and a variety of arm and shoulder injuries.

Without Carter, the All Blacks are far less potent. He brings all the panache the selectors hoped for when they switched him from midfield to the No 10 jersey for the trip to Europe in 2004.

He is also a strong defender who does not back away from collisions on the gainline, there is nothing flaky about his defence while his goalkicking is technically watertight.

Carter expects to kick his goals, he trains hard to succeed under pressure.

At his best, Larkham glides around a game. A transplanted fullback, his speed and beautiful long passing game creates all sorts of doubt for defenders as he takes the ball to the line. His longtime combination with George Gregan is intuitive while the Wallabies also have the luxury of running more Brumbies with Matt Giteau and Stirling Mortlock in midfield.

Carter arrives at this test after a personal haul of 25 points against the Boks from a flawless goalkicking display and two telling counter-attacks which brought tries. Larkham was at his sharpest against the Boks too, slicing them open regularly in their 49-0 triumph.

Suggest to Carter that he treated every game of rugby as "just another game of footy" and he agrees. Even after his special work in Wellington he was calm and composed, ready for the next task. It was another insight into why he is so valued.

In the blazing heat of a game, Carter is able to keep his brain in the icebox. Neither he nor Larkham allow their emotions to smother their judgment.

"It is always pleasing to know all the hard work you put in to get the reward of having a game like that," Carter said of his test against the Boks.

"But you can't sit and dwell on it too much, you have to move ahead and look forward.

"We went through our review process. It lasted about an hour or so on Monday and then we put that behind us because we wanted to focus on Australia and the things we can bring to our game to improve - especially against Australia who are a completely different side to South Africa.

"So we have to change a few things and we have to put last week behind us."

This week the challenge for the All Blacks will be to unpick the Wallabies' drift defence, last week it was all about overcoming the Boks' rush defence.

The Wallaby strategy allows them to defend the width of the field where the All Blacks are so dangerous but if they slide too early there can be gaps in the closer channels to the breakdowns.

Carter is the key to finding the space, working with Aaron Mauger to make calls, make plays which will unsettle the Wallaby defensive line and open up attacking routes after several phases.

Does he ever lose his rag or his nerve? Carter offers the idea that he does when he is "having a bit of a shocker", but he does not sound convincing and then reverts to the latest rugbyspeak.

"We put a lot of emphasis on having a 'now focus', that is not looking too far ahead or looking at things that have happened. We can only control what is happening now and if you dwell on certain performances and things then you are going to be left behind.

"If I do make mistakes or do things well then I accept that and move on."

Easy to say, hard to achieve or has Carter been blessed with an even nature?

"It's something I'm lucky enough to have. I don't read too much, I'm pretty relaxed and don't take things too seriously and I think at times that helps my game. That's the sort of character I am."

When he switched to first five-eighths there were some concerns from coaches that he was not vocal enough, not animated enough to direct a backline. Those claims have quickly disappeared.

Carter adapted his game once more, just the way he did from times when he played halfback through secondary school then fullback, midfield and now backline general.

He has watched, admiringly, the way Larkham travelled a similar path to his exalted position in world rugby.

"He has been playing some great footy this year. It is good to see him injury free and get a few games under his belt and he and Gregan are directing play and providing some good service for those dangerous backs outside him.

"It is definitely 'keep an eye on him' on Saturday night. I think I will be staying close to Richie [McCaw] and try and work in with our loosies to cut down their opportunities.

"When he takes it to the line Larkham is such a threat and then he has such a good pass he can put guys into space.

"He has been around for a while, he has played plenty of test matches and brings a real experience factor to these tight sort of situations and he is a great player for the Wallabies."