Dan Carter celebrates with his family. Photo / Getty Images
Dan Carter celebrates with his family. Photo / Getty Images
Dan Carter's mum Bev Carter wasn't at the victory parade yesterday - after returning this week from the final, she didn't want to take any more time off her work teaching at Springston School in Christchurch. She spoke to Gabrielle Stuart about the proud moments, broken windows and her fears and hopes for her son.
Watching the final was incredibly nerve-wracking even for us at home, so I can't imagine what it must have been like there for you.
It was an amazing atmosphere at Twickenham. There were 80,000 plus people there all in the mood, and the English put on a great display with the fireworks. It was a really lively atmosphere in the fan zone. But it was nerve wracking, and a bit emotional too thinking it was Dan's last game.
How to you handle the nerves when you're watching?
When Daniel's kicking and when its tense I just don't look. I can't. I sit and mediate instead. I just think this for the team, willing the ball to go over.
It looked like Dan was doing a bit of that himself.
That was the first time I have seen him that wound up. Usually he wouldn't do that, begging the ball to go over. But in that game he was playing with all his heart.
He loved the outdoors and he would be outside any moment he could get. He was always pretty laid back, and he always helped others in need, like his classmates if they needed a hand. It's going back a long way, but he won a citizenship award for caring for others when he was at school.
Did he always want to be a rugby player even when he was really young, or did he have other ambitions?
It was a toss up between rugby and cricket. He was passionate about both and good at both but rugby won in the end.
Was there a moment he had to make a choice?
No, he had to give up cricket because he was getting stress fractures in his back, because he was a fast bowler. So no, it was not really a choice. But rugby was always his greatest passion.
What did he get in the most trouble for as a boy? I know you've talked before about the numbers of windows he broke trying to kick balls over the house.
He did break a few, but he didn't really get in trouble for doing that, because it's one of those things you've got to expect when you've got rugby balls and cricket balls flying everywhere. But he didn't used to get in much trouble at all.
Springston School teacher Bev Carter. Photo / Christchurch Star
So he was a good boy?
He always was.
It must be strange to see him with his own boys now. What's he like as a dad?
Well he is away a lot, which is hard for him, but Honor is a great mum for the boys. And when he's home he's always out with them or playing with them. Marco's good with a ball so he spends a lot of time out with him.
Do you have to remind him to phone home?
No, he will ring every now and then, and we quite often do the Skype thing too when he's away.
So obviously you're more than just Dan's mum, so tell me a bit about you - were you Canterbury born and bred?
Yes, I was brought up in Southbridge, on a farm. I went away to teacher's college and I taught for a while in Gore, but I came back and got married here.
It must have been very strange for the family, to see him develop such a high profile, and deal with all the pressure and all the media coverage. It must be pretty hard sometimes?
It was, and it still is strange really. I don't like to think about it too much. But for everyone here he's still the boy next door, and he's still very grounded. I think that's part of why he enjoys coming back home so much. He never gets too big for his boots, and if he tried we wouldn't let him.
Are you going to be able to be there for the victory parade this week?
No, I'm working. I've just had a lot of time off work, so I'm not going to take more off even to go to the parade. But my husband, Neville, will be there to see him. And I'll go into town after work to see him.
Dan's obviously working on his autobiography at the moment - has he let you have a sneak peak?
He has, and we've talked a bit about it, but I think it's changed a bit since he got us to read some of it.
Did you give him any advice?
Well, we put our two pennies worth in, but I don't know if he'll listen to any of it. But writing the book was something he felt needed to do, just to show another side of him.
He's pretty well known for his work ethic. Do you ever need to tell him off for working too hard?
I think he wants to try many different things and he has many different options, but what he does will be up to him and he's got as lot of time to decide.
What would you like to see him do in the future?
Well, it really is up to him. But he has always been close to his family, so he loves coming home when he can. But with his rugby he often missed out on a lot of family things, and I know he would have loved to do more. But he always knew his goals, and he put in a lot of very hard work. There was a bit of natural skill too, but mostly a huge amount of hard work. Whatever he does I'm proud of him.
I imagine you've had plenty of proud moments, and those kicks in the final must have been up there - but what do you think would have been your proudest moment as Dan's mum?
Probably when in his speeches he acknowledged it was not just him, it's the team, and that it doesn't just take one person. That made me very proud. And I am proud of all the time he takes to interact with his supporters. That was going on all night there, and his composure with his fans was really good to see. And of course his performance on the field. He is the kind of person who works so hard toward his goals. All those things make me proud.
