Dan Carter

The greatest first five-eighth in rugby history, Dan Carter is the All Blacks' all-time leading scorer and a two-time Rugby World Cup winner.

Daniel William Carter (born 5 March 1982) is a New Zealand retired rugby union player. He played for the Crusaders in Super Rugby and for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks. He is the highest point scorer in test match rugby, and is considered by many experts as the greatest ever first five-eighth (fly-half) in the history of the game. He was named the International Rugby Board Player of the Year in 2005, 2012 and 2015.

Quick Facts

Birth name: Daniel William Carter
Born: 5 March 1982
Birthplace: Leeston, New Zealand
School: Ellesmere College
Relatives: Bill Dalley (great uncle)
Height: 178 cm / 5 ft 10 in
Weight: 94 kg / 207 lb
Position: Fly-half; Centre

Lore & Background

Carter played for the All Blacks in their Rugby World Cup winning teams in both 2011 and 2015, becoming one of 43 players to have won multiple Rugby World Cups. In 2011, he was due to captain against the Canadians, shortly before he suffered a groin injury during the pool stage; in 2015, he played during the entire tournament, including in the final against Australia, where he kicked four penalties, two conversions, and a drop goal, and was named the man of the match. He also won three Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders, and nine Tri-Nations and Rugby Championships with New Zealand.

Reader's Guide

Carter made his provincial debut for Canterbury in 2002, and in 2003 was signed by the Crusaders. He played mainly at second five-eighth initially, then moved to first five-eighth in 2005. He won Super Rugby titles in 2005 and 2006. In 2008 he signed a six-month contract with French club Perpignan.

In 2009 he ruptured his Achilles tendon playing for Perpignan. He recovered to play for Canterbury and the All Blacks later that year. In May 2012 he was the top scorer in Super Rugby history with 1301 points. In December 2014 it was announced he would join Racing Metro after the 2015 World Cup.

On 24 June 2016 he helped Racing Metro win the Top 14 final, scoring 15 points and being named Man of the Match. He left Racing 92 on 25 November 2017. On 16 July 2018 he joined Kobelco Steelers in Japan. On 17 February 2019 he returned to Racing 92 as injury cover.

On 4 June 2020 he joined the Blues for Super Rugby Aotearoa but never made a professional appearance. He announced his retirement on 20 February 2021 via Instagram.

Did You Know?

Carter scored 33 points in the 2005 All Blacks win over the British & Irish Lions, a record for a Lions Test.
He became the highest point scorer of all time on 27 November 2010, overtaking Jonny Wilkinson.
He is the only player in international rugby union test history to have scored more than 1,500 test points.
In 2013, while recovering from an Achilles tendon tear, he met with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft about possibly joining the NFL team as a kicker.