EXCLUSIVE: Dan Carter's confident New Zealand can spoil France's party
France’s poster boy Antoine Dupont and Les Bleus are aiming for Rugby World Cup glory… but New Zealand icon Dan Carter has a stark warning for them
- New Zealand will take on hosts France in the World Cup opener on Friday
- Dan Carter feels it will be one of the most hotly contested World Cups in history
- Rugby World Cup 2023: Click here for Mail Sport’s latest coverage from France
An entire nation is ready and this morning, French television cut to one of hundreds of the country’s rugby clubs to have been gripped by World Cup fever.
‘C’est moi, Antoine Dupont,’ one child screamed, racing around a pitch trying to emulate what this nation hopes will be their tournament-winning captain and new hero. Another added: ‘Moi? Thomas Ramos! Allez les Bleus!’
Giant posters of scrum-half Dupont and team-mate Julien Marchand can be found at iconic Paris locations ahead of the World Cup opener between the hosts and New Zealand on Friday.
Dupont’s image, fittingly, is plastered next to The Louvre. The scrum-half is a true rugby artist. ‘United for a dream,’ read one French newspaper headline on the eve of kick-off. France expects. Now it is down to Dupont and Co to deliver.
As opening nights go, it couldn’t be much bigger. Paris – and the whole of France – is alive with the sound of rugby. ‘We all have a responsibility to do something great at this World Cup,’ Dupont said.
‘I’m captain, so I’m perhaps more in the limelight than the others. But we all want to write our names into the tournament’s record books. It’s something no French side has managed to do.
Antoine Dupont is France’s captain and their shining light during this home World Cup
The poster boy of French rugby, his image can be seen plastered across the country
France is gripped by World Cup fever, with a home crowd expectant ahead of the tournament
‘There’s pressure because we’re expected to do well and we’ve built up people’s hopes over the last four seasons with the results we’ve had. ‘But the pressure isn’t as high as the motivation and standards we set ourselves.’
France and New Zealand have World Cup previous. Les Bleus knocked the All Blacks out of the 1999 and 2007 tournaments.
This time, it is the men from the southern hemisphere who are underdogs. ‘I’m hugely excited about this World Cup because I think it’s going to be the most hotly contested one we’ve had,’ former All Black fly-half and two-time World Cup winner Dan Carter told MailSport.
‘I can’t wait.’ Carter’s feelings echo those of all rugby fans.
France – like the United Kingdom – has experienced sweltering temperatures this week. The heat will still be close to 30 degrees by the time Fabien Galthie’s side meet New Zealand. It promises to be a truly epic sporting occasion at what will an electric Stade de France.
Rugby badly needs this after a season of misery, especially in the British game where three Premiership sides fell out of existence.
There are countless other problems across the globe. Carter is an ambassador for Mastercard, who have produced a report on rugby’s future to mark the game’s 200-year anniversary.
The report forecasts a 10 per cent growth in global followers and fans of rugby by 2025, along with a 17 per cent increase in participation in this World Cup year.
Dan Carter believes this World Cup will be one of the most ‘hotly contested’ tournaments ever
Widely considered one of the greatest rugby players of all time, Carter won the World Cup twice with New Zealand (pictured in 2015) and was a three-time World Player of the Year
In the build-up to the World Cup, the game’s governing body World Rugby reported an 11 per cent rise in playing numbers across the globe.
Carter’s THREE World Cup stars to watch
Will Jordan (New Zealand)
He springs to mind straight away. I’m not sure how much northern hemisphere fans know about him but he’s an incredible athlete and pops up at the right time.
He’s a try-scoring machine. He’s not the biggest guy but he’s rapid and has a great rugby brain.
Charles Piutau (Tonga)
I keep going back to Tonga because of the change in rugby’s eligibility rules.
Piutau is back playing international rugby for the first time in ages. I played with him for the All Blacks and have followed his career in England.
He’s a great talent with great feet. If he gets into some open spaces he could be a real threat.
Marcus Smith (England)
I’d love to see him get some game time and transfer his club form to the biggest stage. He’s an exciting young talent with great skills.
The English team is lacking a bit of confidence at the moment but the beauty of World Cups is anything can happen if they can get their tournament off to a great start against Argentina.
Marcus is young. It’s his first World Cup so I’d say go out there and play with the freedom we know he can.
‘The fact we’re getting a lot more competition globally is something that really excites me. We’re seeing the Pacific Island nations come into their own,’ Carter said.
‘There’s Argentina and we’ve all seen what Japan have done in the last two World Cups. In terms of growing the global audience, there is young, exciting talent out there and future generations tend to gravitate towards that. I speak about that because I have four young boys.
‘They don’t really understand the traditions behind the game. They just want heroes to back and support. Guys like Will Jordan are exactly that.
‘My boys are big football fans but they love Richie Mo’unga. My eldest son is constantly trying to sidestep, goosestep and run like Richie. They love Beauden Barrett as well.
‘They’re on the Man City bandwagon too and to be honest they also love women’s sport.
‘For their World Cup last year they took down all their male posters and put up ones of Portia Woodman and Ruby Tui.
‘There was also the women’s football World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this year. It’s an exciting time for sport. Now, it’s rugby’s turn.’
France have been hit by injuries, losing star fly-half Romain Ntamack and lock Paul Willemse ahead of the tournament. Jonathan Danty and Cyril Baille are also absent against the All Blacks.
But the expectation for success remains. Head coach Galthie has a wonderful squad at his disposal. So too does his opposite number in New Zealand’s Ian Foster. The Stade de France will be dripping in world-class talent from both sides.
‘I’m sure it’s going to be a successful tournament and the French will do a fantastic job in making it a beautiful spectacle for fans to enjoy,’ said Carter, who played in France with Perpignan and Racing 92.
‘I’m confident the quality of rugby will match that as well. There will be some great stories along the way with the developing nations giving it a crack at the tier-one countries. ‘It’s a cracker of an opening game – what a way to kick-off the World Cup.’
Carter has described full-back Will Jordan as a ‘try-scoring machine’ with a ‘great rugby brain’
Carter has picked Marcus Smith (above) as one of his three players to watch at the tournament
Only Kylian Mbappe has been able to knock French rugby off the front pages this week. Carter knows what it must be like to be in Dupont’s shoes having been one of rugby’s few real superstars.
Three KEY battles for France vs New Zealand
Antoine Dupont vs Aaron Smith
The best player in the world and the icon of a nation against a man who is also one of the best scrum-halves on the planet. What a head-to-head this is. Dupont has it all and he and Smith both like to play at an express pace. This battle could decide the game.
Matthieu Jalibert vs Richie Mo’unga
France lost first-choice No 10 Romain Ntamack on the eve of the tournament so Jalibert steps in. He is a wonderful attacking player and won’t have to worry about kicking goals as that duty will fall to Thomas Ramos. Mo’unga is a jinking, running threat but also reliable from the tee.
Gregory Alldritt vs Ardie Savea Alldritt
doesn’t get many headlines but he is a granite forward who allows the likes of Dupont to thrive. His No 8 contest with the maverick Ardie Savea is the headline meeting in the pack.
‘There have been some incredible rivalries between these two nations. To have an opening game like this means it could be fireworks,’ Carter said.
Carter is understandably hoping for a big upset. ‘I’d like to think so,’ he said, when asked if New Zealand can shock the hosts.
‘They know if they’re going to go all the way, they’ve got to really embrace the pressure.
‘Hostile environments are the ones you want to play in. I know the team and the players are walking towards that pressure and are excited about what lies ahead. They’re not the favourites.
‘They haven’t performed as they would have liked in the last couple of years but they’ve shown real signs of improvement this year besides the setback against South Africa.
‘I think that would have been a great wake-up call. It’s going to put them in good stead for this opening game. It’s better to have that sort of game a couple of weeks ago than now.’
Alongside his fellow great former All Blacks Richie McCaw, Conrad Smith and others, Carter has formed part of a legacy group designed to help out the current team.
‘I’ve spent a bit of time being a fly on the wall to see if there’s anything the team was missing and being there to observe or share any knowledge from playing at World Cups,’ Carter said.
Now 41, Carter knows upsets do happen on the biggest stage. He was part of the New Zealand side beaten by France in the 2007 quarter-finals in Cardiff. On Friday, he will be crossing his fingers the boot is on the other foot.
‘We’ve all seen before that being favourites doesn’t guarantee World Cup success,’ said Carter knowingly. ‘I’ve been on the back end of that.’
Bristol Bears and Tonga full-back Charles Piutau is another player Carter is excited to watch
New Zealand will face France in the World Cup curtain-raiser at the Stade de France on Friday
Dan Carter is a Mastercard ambassador. On the game’s 200th anniversary and ahead of the World Cup, Mastercard has published the Future of Rugby: a new report which looks at how rugby is positively impacting society.
Source: Read Full Article