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Daniel William Carter (born 5 March 1982 in Leeston, Christchurch, New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. Daniel attended Christchurch Boys High School, where he played for Christchurch High School Old Boys in their Christchurch premier competition, from which he made his leap into test rugby. He currently plays first five-eighths (fly-half) and second five-eighths (inside centre). Carter first gained serious international attention in his Australian 2003 Rugby World Cup exploits, a tournament he was forced to withdraw from that left New Zealand without a specialist goal-kicker. Although he has been an All Black since 2003 he only secured a permanent position as the first five-eighth in the team during the 2004 tour to the United Kingdom and France. He had been playing as a second five-eighths up until the end of the 2004 Tri Nations Series.
After Carter's stellar performance in the second All Blacks Test against the British and Irish Lions on the Lions' 2005 tour of New Zealand, he was hailed as the next big thing in world rugby. His distribution of the ball kept the Lions constantly on their back foot, and he was rewarded for his hard work with two tries, five penalties, and four conversions. He ended the match with 33 points, smashing the previous All Blacks record of 18 points in a Lions Test. In fact, Carter's second-half total of 22 points by itself would have given him that record. He is without doubt one of the best fly-halves in the game, and he may just be the best fly-half in the world today. Underscoring this assessment, he was named the 2005 IRB World Player of the Year.
Carter was voted New Zealand's sexiest man in the Durex Global Sex Survey for 2004 and 2005,confirming his status as one of New Zealand's most popular and marketable celebrities. His profile was further enhanced when he fronted a national billboard campaign for underwear manufacturer Jockey in 2004.[http://www.jockeyperformance.co.nz
He made his All Black debut age 21, versus Wales in 2003, scoring 20 points. He has currently scored a total of 381 test points (12 tries, 77 conversions, 54 penalties). In the 26 tests he has played, he has only been on the losing team twice (statistics current 08/07/06).
He plays for the Crusaders in the Super 14 and for Canterbury in the Air New Zealand Cup. He is a prodigious goalkicker as well as being a good distributor of the ball and is recognised by many as being the finest first five New Zealand has produced since Grant Fox or Andrew Mehrtens.
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1982 births | All Blacks | IRB World Player of the Year | Living people | New Zealand people | New Zealand rugby union footballers | Rugby union centres | Rugby union fly-halves
"Daniel Carter (rugby player)"