New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter has praised his national teammate Richie McCaw ahead of yet another record that the All Blacks captain is set to break. Eurosport reports that Carter, who is set to retire from international rugby following the World Cup, has described his national skipper as a “legend”.
When New Zealand face off against South Africa in the World Cup, McCaw will be captaining his side for the 12th time in the World Cup, a competition record.
McCaw broke another record earlier this year when he became the most capped player in Rugby Union history and will soon make his 147th appearance against the Springboks.
Dan Carter, who is set to join French side Racing 92 claims that McCaw is a one of a kind player that leads New Zealand by example.
“He leads the team fantastically well. He is an inspiration, a player that really motivates this side because of his actions.
“You see him at training. He is first out, and last to leave. His work ethic is fantastic.
“Out on the field, he is the first guy to put his body on the line, and when you are working so closely with him, it inspires you to do the same.”
Carter added that he felt honoured to have played alongside his captain because of his passion for the sport and the fact that he always gives his all when playing.
“To have such longevity in this demanding game goes to show his professionalism, his drive and desire to play at this level. I feel honoured to play alongside this legend of the game.”
Following his side’s impressive 62-13 victory over France in this year’s World Cup, Carter claims that South Africa have been consistently the toughest opponents he has had to play against.
“This is another do-or-die match against some quality opposition we’ve played against quite a bit, so there is a lot of edge in training,
“You often get asked the question who the toughest opposition is, and it does vary, but consistently throughout my career South Africa have been right up there.
“The way they play the game, they are extremely physical, and you know that once you’ve played them, you will be sore for a few days. Nothing will change this weekend.
“It’s a different ball-game when you are playing South Africa in a World Cup play-off game. It means so much more. It’s a huge challenge.”
At the age of 33 years old, Carter is one of the oldest players at the World Cup and yet he still maintains his high level of performance.
When questioned about his ability to keep playing, Carter claimed that getting older does make playing more difficult but he enjoys the extra effort it takes to stay at the top of his game.
“It does get tougher with age, and you have to work a bit harder to stay at the highest level,
“Professionalism has changed a lot, so that guys are playing a bit longer as they have recovery and look after themselves a lot more.
“It is up to the individual. The body can be fine, but it is that drive and desire that is important when you have been playing so long. That is what keeps you in the game.”
