Daniel Carter, tormentor of South Africans… well, tormentor of anyone he played against… has retired. Rugby’s version of Lionel Messi, Roger Federer and LeBron James has finally said goodbye to a game he started playing 32 years ago.
Jean De Villiers (centre) of South Africa is tackled by Dan Carter (left) of New Zealand during their Tri-Nations match at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on 6 August 2005. South Africa won 22-16. (Photo: EPA / Nic Bothma)
He seemed eternal as a player, his youthful good looks almost unchanged after two decades on the world’s stage. But, as with all the greats, the one opponent they can’t beat and can’t hold back is time. Carter’s time is up, and all you can say as a sports lover is, “Thank the stars I lived in the time of Dan Carter.”