Dan Carter reveals why he may have to ‘drop’ Damian McKenzie as All Blacks legend gives verdict on new Super Rugby Pacific season
All Blacks legend Dan Carter and current Chiefs fly-half Damian McKenzie.
All Blacks legend Dan Carter believes that the early signs in Super Rugby Pacific are promising but admits that he would “hate to be a defence coach this year”.
The 42-year-old was speaking after the first round of the competition which saw a number of thrilling encounters.
It was headlined by impressive victories for the Crusaders – Carter’s old side – and the Chiefs after they defeated the Hurricanes and defending champions the Blues respectively.
Crowds were also up in what was an altogether much more positive weekend for a competition which has seen interest wane over the years.
Positive step forward
New Zealand Rugby and Rugby Australia have looked to rekindle its magic and Carter felt that it was a step in the right direction.
New laws have been brought in to speed up the game and, although the ex-All Blacks fly-half did not want to go too early with his prediction, he could see their immediate impact.
“Still too early to tell but that speed at the breakdown has really helped, that’s what you want,” he told the New Zealand Herald.
“You don’t want to be attacking against stabilised defences and when the ruck speed is as fast as it was in round one you get a lot more opportunities attacking-wise… I’d hate to be a defence coach this year.”
Although a few players were missing through injury, most of the stars featured with the likes of Damian McKenzie producing standout displays.
“I was really excited about round one and it really delivered, often it takes half a season for a lot of the well-established All Blacks to perform but the majority of them came back firing,” Carter said.
“To see that many points scored in the first round goes to show that it’s going to be an epic tournament and anyone’s guess [who will win] so it’s great for the fans, which is important.”
Fantasy competition
‘Fan-centric’ has been the watchword for Super Rugby over the past couple of years and this year a new fantasy game has been developed.
It has certainly had the desired impact for Carter, who himself has got involved and perhaps become more invested in the competition as a result despite his poor start.
“My son has got me into it. I’m polling pretty low after round one, although I did have Damian McKenzie as captain so he got me a few points, but they’re playing the Crusaders this week so I think I might have to drop my captain, D-Mac, sorry mate,” he said.
“It was amazing, it was really good to watch. I tend to not watch a lot of rugby these days but for some reason I was really energised, maybe it was my fantasy picks.”
