Look at the final four.
New Zealand, through circumstance, are playing a novice in Aaron Cruden, with Stephen Donald replacing another greenhorn, Colin Slade, as his likely backup. Australia have used Quade Cooper, whose form has been so wretched it is impossible to reconcile him with the man who helped guide the Reds to their first Super rugby title.
France are using Morgan Parra, a man more comfortable at halfback than first five-eighths.
Even Wales, who have had the steadiest contributions from their No 10s thus far, will be without the favoured Rhys Priestland, as the more experienced James Hook fills the injury breach.
It's hardly a Hall of Fame lineup of pivots.
It begs the question, can you win a World Cup without a world-class No 10?
"Absolutely," said Peter Thorburn, former All Black selector and a lifetime analyst of the sport. "Both have to be really good decision makers, but to me the major requirement of the No 10 is immediate vision - what's going on two to five metres in front of them."
Thorburn said the really good ones - the rarities - are the ones that can assess what is happening in front of them and what is happening in the back field simultaneously.
"It's like they have a 3-D picture in their mind ... and then they have to have the attributes to deal with it, like being able to kick short and long off both feet, be able to take on the line or be able to throw short and long passes."
Carter has those abilities, few others do, though salving the anxiety of a nation, Thorburn reckoned he could see flashes of that genius in Cruden, more so perhaps than any other remaining first five-eighths at the tournament.
The more observant among you would have noticed that there was a name missing from the chain at the top of the story. Butch James might hold the key to this question.
Committed defender and strong runner, yes; classy navigator, no way. James was simply a link between the dominant halfback Fourie du Preez and his rarely used outsides. He was as close as a No 10 could get to being superfluous in the overall scheme of things.
That trend has continued into this World Cup. Dimitri Yachvili, Mike Phillips and Will Genia are all clearly more influential to their sides than the man outside them. Piri Weepu has also become that since Carter's groin went "ping" a fortnight ago.
Where once the first five-eighths was considered the quarterback of their side, now it seems to be the halfback.
"With the players having to be back from the scrum and the offside line being hit reasonably hard at the breakdown, the halfback has to have a look first," Thorburn said. "He has to be able to quickly assess whether there's an opportunity on either side of the breakdown. If you just keep shovelling the ball you'll get a reputation for it and the defence just drifts.
"It's too easy to defend against."
Thorburn rather ominously pointed to Australia's Will Genia being the best in the world at this facet of the game, because his blinding acceleration made him a constant threat, as both the Crusaders and All Blacks have discovered to their cost this year.
All is not lost, however. While Thorburn feels that on balance Jimmy Cowan is the best at giving the All Blacks that running option, he believes Weepu's game is improving so quickly it is close to complete.
"He's become the jack of all trades and the master of some."
Weepu was the game's dominant figure in the All Blacks' quarter-final victory against Argentina. He might have his hands full against Genia this time around.
The time is right for a first five-eighths to step up and give the definitive performance of this World Cup, a tournament that has provided few highlights from those wearing No 10.
