AB's Dan Carter to get 8.25 million in French rugby contract...

AB's  Dan Carter to get paid 8.25 million dollars In French rugby  contract... 



The All Blacks are set to lose star first-five Dan Carter after the World Cup. English paper the Daily Mail has reported that Paris-based club Racing Metro will offer $8.25m for Carter's services.



If the deal goes through, Carter will become the world's highest-paid player, making $2.75m a season over three years.



"He's assessing his options and will make a decision soonish," said Carter's agent Simon Porter. "He's the world's best rugby player, and there are lots of people including the NZRFU interested in him."



Porter said there are interested clubs "all over Europe" and that the Racing Metro deal was "just speculation". France, however, would seem a logical destination for Carter. He previously played one season for Perpignan before returning to New Zealand and the Crusaders.



If Carter were to sign with Racing Metro he would arrive in November for the start of the Heineken Cup.


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Acknowledgements: MSN Sports/ Daily Mail

All Blacks thrash Wallabies 33-6 in final game...

The New Zealand All Blacks excised some of their demons of the current season while losing three times during the Tri-Nations tournament against South Africa; last night they made it three zip against the Australian Wallabies

New Zealand 33-6 Australia
New Zealand (16) 33
Tries: Jane, Nonu, Rokocoko Cons: Carter 3 Pens: Carter 4
Australia (6) 6
Pen: Giteau Drop-goal: Barnes



Nonu scored a stunning solo try with five minutes remaining
New Zealand thrashed Australia in Wellington on Saturday to finish second in the 2009 Tri-Nations table behind runaway champions South Africa.

A converted Cory Jane try and three Dan Carter penalties, to a Matt Giteau penalty and Berrick Barnes drop-goal, gave the hosts a 16-6 half-time lead.

Carter added a fourth penalty before Ma'a Nonu thundered over from the 22.

Joe Rokocoko dived over in the corner late on as the All Blacks made it six wins in a row over the Wallabies.

The two teams meet again in Tokyo on 31 October, the week before the All Blacks face Wales in Cardiff and England host Australia at Twickenham.

The convincing nature of the victory will have come as a big relief to under-pressure New Zealand coach Graham Henry.

606: DEBATE
Well the AB's are back - they may not be back to their best but the win over Australia was convincing

biltongbek
The All Blacks dominated Australia in the line-out and with their pack monopolising possession, the backs had too much pace and power for the visitors.

New Zealand showed their attacking intent from the kick-off as they opted to keep the ball in hand but it was the Wallabies who scored first, Giteau slotting a penalty after Brad Thorn was ruled offside.

However, the Wallabies fly-half was off-target with his second attempt three minutes later and never got another chance to kick at goal.

Three Carter penalties edged the All Blacks 9-3 ahead and although Barnes reduced the gap to three with a drop-goal after Isaia Toeava was yellow carded for a high tackle on James O'Connor, that was as good as it got for the struggling visitors.


Rokocoko's late score was the icing on the cake for New Zealand
The All Blacks shrugged off the absence of Toeava to score their first try in the 31st minute.

A well-judged kick by Mils Muliaina was claimed by Jane off O'Connor's shoulder and the winger stepped another tackle before diving over the line.

Carter landed the conversion and added a fourth penalty soon after the break to make it 19-6.

The hosts hammered away at the Wallabies, who were barely able to mount a worthwhile attack in the second half, and the visitors' defence finally cracked with five minutes to go.

When the ball was fed into midfield the Wallabies looked well set but Nonu burst between tacklers to break the initial line of defence before his power took him through three more defenders to score a typically powerful try.

Carter converted and he was on target from the touchline after the All Blacks finished with a flourish, Rokocoko scoring with a trademark dive after New Zealand had spun the ball down the line.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New Zealand: Muliaina; Jane, Toeava, Nonu, Rokocoko; Carter, Cowan; Tialata, Hore, Woodcock, Donnelly, Thorn, Read, McCaw (c), Thomson.
Replacements: de Malmanche, Afoa, Eaton, So'oialo, Leonard, Donald, Gear.

Australia: O'Connor; Turner, Ashley-Cooper, Barnes, Mitchell; Giteau, Genia; Alexander, Polota-Nau, Robinson, Chisholm, Horwill, Smith (c), Pocock, Elsom.
Replacements: Moore, Cowan, Mumm, Palu, Burgess, Cooper, Hynes

Should Dan Carter be rushed back into the All Blacks against the Wallabies

Dan Carter's rapid recall is a no-brainer - or desperation.


Should Dan Carter have been rushed back into the All Blacks

No-brainer or desperation? There will be opposing viewpoints about the merits and speed of Daniel Carter's return to the All Blacks squad but the big question now is whether he will start in the Sydney test in a fortnight.

Carter will play for Canterbury against Waikato on Friday night to bring his tally of games to four since he resumed rugby after six months out of the game recovering from surgery to repair his snapped Achilles tendon.

On that workload, scouts' reports and their own observation, the selectors have picked Carter for a training camp in Auckland tomorrow and the rest of the Tri-Nations campaign.

That rapid recall suggests many things but clearly Carter has passed the criteria espoused recently by Steve Hansen when he suggested that unless the five-eighths was 100 per cent fit "it would be a form of panic I think".

On that medical evidence and the combination of Carter's cautious return and skills which place him in the superstar category, he must be in the starting XV or reserves in Sydney.

If he starts it would not be an indictment of Stephen Donald, more a recognition that Carter is a once in a generation player; or perhaps once in a lifetime, like his fellow Cantabrian and captain, Richie McCaw.

Donald was one of the more consistent players in the messy campaign against the Springboks and goaled eight from nine kicks in Bloemfontein and Durban.

But a fit, sharp Carter will give the All Blacks extra confidence, authority and experience if they use him in Sydney. There would be a parallel with the cult movie Get Carter, where the star sets out to avenge the death of his brother.

Yesterday Carter said one person could not change a team's fortunes. "It is a team performance."

He described the transition to test rugby as a "huge step up from what I have experienced in the last three weeks". "If I get the opportunity that would be great but it would be extremely tough."

Carter would be seen as a talisman by the All Blacks and a feared rival by the Wallabies who are likely to be without their skipper, Stirling Mortlock.

"He is a key member of the All Blacks, has recovered well from his injury and has made a great return to rugby so now is the right time to bring him back into the squad," coach Graham Henry said.

All Blacks backs coach Wayne Smith said Carter should not be seen as "the cavalry riding over the hill to save us". Smith had been surprised at how quickly the experienced pivot has returned to form.

"His ability to break, and the speed that he has got, has been a surprise to me, having seen that sort of injury before."

Carter has not played a test since late last year when he piloted the All Blacks to a 32-6 win against England.

He will begin his next step towards that international stage when he joins an extended All Blacks squad for the training camp tomorrow.

Tamati Ellison and Tom Donnolly will also attend the camp to cover for the injured Isaia Toeava and Bryn Evans while the squad travelling to Sydney will be trimmed to 26 on Saturday.

Toeava has been resting a stress fracture in his foot while Evans has been suffering from lower back and leg pain and withdrew from the weekend's latest NPC round.

Acknowledgements: Wynne Grey, NZ Herald