‘I aspired to be like him’ – All Blacks legend Dan Carter picks his best fly-halves of the professional era

Colin Newboult 12 Dec 2024 10:56 AM

Jonny Wilkinson tackling Dan Carter during England v All Blacks clash, and Wallabies great Stephen Larkham.

All Blacks legend Dan Carter has chosen between some of the best fly-halves of the modern era after playing a game of ‘Winner Stays On’.

In an interview with Midi Olympique, the great New Zealander was given a task of choosing his favourite pivot from the two players provided, with the selected playmaker then battling another fly-half

Carter was firstly given the option of either Owen Farrell or Finn Russell, but it was the England great who easily took that duel.

Farrell then saw off the challenge of the immensely talented Matthieu Jalibert before he was given, in Carter’s mind, a tougher task against fellow France star Romain Ntamack, but once again the Englishman had the edge.

‘Maybe in five or 10 years time’

“Oh my god, the future or the legend himself? It’s hard but I’m going to go on experience. What Owen Farrell has done in an England jersey is incredible.

“Maybe in five or 10 years, Ntamack will be in the same conversation.”

After that, Farrell was pitted against Ireland legend Ronan O’Gara, which eventually proved to be his downfall, although Carter admitted that there was an element of bias in that call.

“I’ve got to go with my mate ROG, he would kill me,” the double Rugby World Cup winner said. “He would be straight on the phone and ring me if I don’t choose him. He’s a points-scoring legend.”

O’Gara also took the all-Ireland battle ahead of Johnny Sexton, with Carter saying: “Geez, there’s a bit of rivalry there, but I have to go with my mate ROG again.”

However, the current La Rochelle head coach did not stand a chance against the All Blacks’ very own Beauden Barrett.

“Picking an All Black over an Ireland player, it’s not fair. Beaudy lives just down the road from me so he might come knocking on my door if I pick Ronan over Beauden, so I will go Beaudy,” Carter said.

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Barrett had a tougher challenge against Stephen Larkham, a Wallabies great that was key to their World Cup win in 1999, but Carter was once again reluctant to go against the New Zealander.

“Stephen Larkham’s right there and I had a lot of good rivalries against Stephen Larkham. He was awesome,” he added.

“They both played 15 as well, so both really versatile and could play 10 or 15. It’s hard not to pick a New Zealander, I’m a pretty patriotic person, so I will go Beaudy.”

Does Carter pick himself?

Carter was then cheekily asked whether he would pick himself over Barrett but the 42-year-old is far too self-effacing for that.

That meant the current New Zealand fly-half went up against Jonny Wilkinson in the final duel and it was an easy call for him as he revealed just how much he respected the great England playmaker.

“I would have to go Jonny. He was just someone I aspired to be like and someone I really respected, so Jonny Wilkinson,” Carter said.

“You deliberately put that last otherwise he would have been there most of the time! He was an awesome player.”