All Blacks Dan Carter in action during the rugby test match between the All Blacks and Australia. Photo / Dean Purcell
All Blacks Dan Carter in action during the rugby test match between the All Blacks and Australia. Photo / Dean Purcell
World’s greatest first-five is determined to make an impact at his fourth and final World Cup.
Daniel Carter has a World Cup winner's medal, yet no memories of dominating the tournament. He's in London to put that right.
That he's even made it to his fourth tournament is just about a miracle and cause for celebration in itself. He's had to strip his body down and piece it back together in the past four years; battle the self-doubt that inevitably came as a result of his new-found frailty and, hardest of all, he's had to dig into the deepest parts of himself to prove he is still a world-class talent.
Making it to England, though, isn't the final chapter. It is, as far as Carter is concerned, the first. Now that he's here, the hard work really begins.
Carter with his wife Honor. Photo / Norrie Montgomery
Now that he's here, he has to make the pain and toil of the last four years - of his entire career - all worthwhile.
There's never been anything selfish or self-obsessed about Carter. Personal glory is not his bag. His mission to take charge of this tournament is not about lighting up his own star: it's driven by his desire to serve the All Blacks.
If Carter is in control - using all of his experience and judgment to pull the right strings - the All Blacks are going to benefit. If Carter bangs over his goals, thumps the ball into the right places, picks the right runners, chooses the right plays and remains his unflappable self - the All Blacks are going to be hard to beat.
And if Carter can rekindle his running game and challenge the line the way he did in his last test against the Wallabies, he will elevate the All Blacks to a higher level. His running game is the missing piece - put it in place and the All Blacks become almost untouchable.
That's all Carter truly needs - the knowledge that he did his bit from beginning to end. That's what he hasn't been able to do at three previous World Cups.
He was supposed to own the 2011 World Cup: the tournament that would be defined by his poise, control and all-round excellence in the All Black No 10 jersey.
It was defined by him in a different way of course - by the horrific injury he suffered a day before the last pool game and the subsequent dramas New Zealand endured trying to replace him.
It made the All Blacks a more compelling story. They managed to somehow scramble over the line without the man no one disputed was the world's best play-maker.
It left a hole, though, in the legend of Carter. He's achieved just about everything else. He's won the ITM Cup, Super Rugby, Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship. He's played and destroyed the British Lions, twice been World Player of the Year and even had a brief overseas stint.
But glaring at him, with the angriest of eyes, is the World Cup. He's been to three and not one has gone his way. That's an unbelievable amount of bad luck to have encountered - especially in a career that has been near flawless in every other aspect. But it's what has happened.
It's not that he needs to prove himself at a World Cup - he wants to. And it would be better for everyone if he does.
It's a little awkward and untidy that a player of his standing stands alone from his peers as not having - really - ticked that World Cup box. Carter is part of what may, in time, be seen as a golden generation of players that includes Richie McCaw, Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu, Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu. Legends one and all, and even in that company Carter stands out as special. Yet he hasn't managed what they have. That's unlikely to be eating him up inside but he'd unquestionably feel better if it was no longer the case.
Everyone would. Given Carter's injuries and subsequent inability to build consistent form since the last tournament, the period 2011 to 2014 is in danger of tainting the period 2003-2010.
He is the greatest fly-half to ever play the game. There wouldn't be many who hold an opposing view but if Carter can do all he wants to do at this tournament, there won't be any opposing views.
Dan Carter has make-up applied for a photo shoot during their RWC 2015 squad media session. Photo / Mark Mitchell
And that's what it comes down to - Carter has been too good a player for too long for his career not to end in a blaze of glory. He's always been a big game player and always delivered on the big stage.
The World Cup is the biggest stage of all and the fickle mistress that fate is, she has denied Carter at all three in which he has featured. This is a loose end that needs to be tied, given his relentless commitment, excellence, determination, contribution and quality - deserves to be remembered as just about perfect.
Monday's clash with Argentina is a big game for the All Blacks. It's an even bigger game for Carter. He's been driven towards it the instant his groin pulled almost off the bone in Wellington four years ago.
It was the prospect of finally succeeding at a World Cup that drove him through those injuries and endless hours of rehabilitation. His hunger and desire to be an All Black could have faded were it not for that lure of this tournament and all that it could bring.
So the hour has almost cometh and so too must the man if Carter's story is to have the only ending that will make sense.
