Author(s): John Matheson

Rugby

RugbyâÂÂs race for the tag is a little more complicated but the chances are the debate will be over if and when Dan Carter wins the Rugby World Cup for the All Blacks in 2011. Ever since he burst onto the test rugby scene in New Zealand in 2003, Dan Carter has been earmarked for greatness. His exploits for Canterbury, the Crusaders and the All Blacks are the stuff of legends. He did the âÂÂimpossibleâ early on in his international career when he made the rugby nation forget about Andrew Mehrtens a first-five whom many thought couldnâÂÂt be replaced for at least a generation. But, as the latest offering from HarperCollinsâ highly successful Tribute series explains, Carter not only replaced Mehrtens but he took the art of first-five-eighth play to a new level, as shown by his performance against the Lions in 2005 when he came head to head with EnglandâÂÂs âÂÂbest everâÂÂ, Jonny Wilkinson. And with countless Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations match-winning performances behind him, Carter a year out of his third World Cup is on the verge of the most important and quite possibly his most successful year as a part of the Men in Black. This book with many original interviews with team-mates and coaches as well as conversations between author John Matheson and Carter himself traces the career of rugbyâÂÂs ultimate pin-up from his roots in the backblocks of Canterbury through to the biggest and grandest rugby stages in the world. CarterâÂÂs early battles with Mehrtens and his subsequent transition to the number one test first-five is traced in great detail, as are his World Cup heartaches in 2003 and 2007 and his extraordinary battle with injury in 2009 when many experts suggested he would never return to the levels of play he displayed pre-injury. History, of course, proved those critics wrong as Carter returned better than ever with heroic performances against Australia and France, ensuring the rugby nation once again believes that World Cup glory is within the countryâÂÂs grasp. This book the eighth in the series celebrates Dan Carter like never before, making it a must-read for All Blacks fans around the world. John Matheson â who has penned over 15 books, including bestsellers on Christian Cullen, Tana Umaga and Buck Shelford â has worked for the Auckland Star and Sunday Star. He is a former editor of the Qantas-award-winning Sunday News, and is the longest-serving editor of NZ Rugby World. - Illustration not book jacket.