“He tried to kill me” – Dan Carter ranked his five toughest World Cup opponents

Monday, 04 September 2023 at 10:20

byRugby Rucker

Dan Carter, the absolute legend of rugby, and the guy who smashed records left and right with 1,598 points from 112 international games, spilled the beans on his list of the five toughest dudes he ever squared off against in his glorious career.

He's the undisputed king of rugby's backfield, and when he talks, everyone listens.

Carter dropped this bomb during some Q&A sessions, including a chat with the Independent, where he ranked his top five foes from Rugby World Cups past and beyond.

DID YOU KNOW? In the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final against Australia, Dan Carter kicked four penalties, two conversions and a drop goal, and was named the man of the match.

#5. Thierry Dusautoir (France)

CARTER SAID: "He had some blinding games in big moments — none more so than in the 2007 and 2011 World Cup games against the All Blacks."

DID YOU KNOW? He broke the record for most tackles in a match, making 38 tackles against the All Blacks in the 2007 World Cup final

3&4. Brian O'Driscoll & Paul O'Connell (Ireland)

Carter said: "Two giants of the game that have worn the green jersey were Paul O'Connell and Brian O'Driscoll. Their work rate and how they conducted themselves on and off the pitch was exemplary."

Brian O’Driscoll facts:

He is devoted to Manchester United and his boyhood hero was Mark Hughes
O’Driscoll’s father, Frank, played two games for Ireland and an uncle, Barry, won four caps
His final appearance for Leinster, and for any team, was in the 2014 Pro12 Grand Final on 31 May in Leinster’s home ground, the RDS in Dublin, in which Leinster defeated the Glasgow Warriors 34-12
His most oft-quoted line was delivered at a press conference at Croke Park before an England match in 2009: “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”
O’Driscoll was chosen as Player of the Tournament in the 2006, 2007 and 2009 RBS Six Nations Championships.

1. Jonny Wilkinson (England)

CARTER SAID: “Probably because I held him in such high regard and had a huge amount of respect for him, it was Jonny Wilkinson. He was an absolute student of the game,

“It was a wild, windy test match down in Wellington, I was on the bench and I hadn’t played a test match for the All Blacks, and he just took that game and, as a 10 that wants to control a game, I’ve never seen anything like it.

“I got the best seats in the house on the bench. Part of me was going, ‘Man, do I really want to get on here because he’s just completely dominating this game’.

“Thankfully I didn’t. I made my test debut the following week, which was a much better game to remember, but I just remember sitting there going, ‘If I ever do play 10’ – I was playing 12 a lot then – ‘this is how you need to control a game’.

“I had a huge amount of respect for him and playing against him.”

Jonny Wilkinson facts:

Wilkinson’s brother, Mark, was also a Newcastle player who made 16 appearances in the Premiership for the side between 2002 and 2005, predominantly as a centre. His father, Phil, was a rugby player and cricketer, and his mother, Philippa, played squash at county level. His grandfather, Phil, also played football for Norwich.
When former England centre Jeremy Guscott walked into the dressing room on the day of Wilkinson’s international debut, he thought the 18-year-old had won a competition to spend the day with the national team.
Wilkinson followed Buddhist principles and teachings to help control his perfectionist tendencies, according to an interview he gave with The Times newspaper in 2009.
Jonny and Shelley became parents for the first time in late 2018. They keep their private life pretty much on lockdown, but according to reports, they had a little boy called James while they were still living in France.
Wilkinson is currently a studio pundit for ITV Sport, working on their coverage of the Six Nations Championship, Rugby World Cup and other rugby events.

1. Schalk Burger (South Africa)

Carter said: “Schalk Burger was the toughest opponent that I played against. He tried to kill me every time we played South Africa.”

"A real competitor and absolute top bloke off the field as well. His mindset was a little bit different when he was out there competing. That just made him such a tough opponent to come up against.”