All Black great and World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee Dan Carter has been presented with the International Rugby Players Association Special Merit Award at a World Rugby Awards presentation held in London on the eve of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 final.
Carter is widely considered the most complete fly-half in history and certainly a modern day All Blacks great. His attacking flair, tactical brilliance and deadly goal-kicking combined to create a player who was exhilarating to watch and daunting to face.
From humble beginnings at his hometown club Southbridge in New Zealand’s South Island, Carter became a genuine global rugby icon, playing on multiple continents and proving a serial winner.
“It's a huge privilege to receive the International Rugby Player Association Special Merit Award. It's not why I do what I do to receive awards like this, but I guess it's a combination of the hard work and dedication that I put in on the rugby field, as a professional rugby player, but also since my transition out of the game, my willingness to want to give back to people through philanthropic work, it really is a huge honour," said Carter after receiving his award, which was presented in association with the International Rugby Players Association as part of proceedings at the Global Women's Rugby Summit at London's Science Museum.
International great
Carter’s 1,598 test points for New Zealand still stand as the all-time record and he was named World Rugby player of the year three times. In all, he won 112 test caps for New Zealand, playing an instrumental role in two Rugby World Cup triumphs, nine Rugby Championship titles and a career-launching display against the British and Irish Lions on home soil in 2005, two years after making his debut.
“My personal career highlight has been that dream that I had as a five-year-old boy turned into a reality, when I got a chance to represent my country and play for the All Blacks for the first time in 2003. It was such a special moment receiving my very first All Black jersey and representing my country. I never thought that day would ever happen, but for it to actually happen and continue to have the career that I did, it was the start of something very special.”
Club icon
Carter’s club career was equally impressive in its global span and appeal. He claimed three Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders and holds the competition’s points record with 1,708. In 2016, he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit and in that same year helped guide Racing to France’s Top 14 title, which he also won with Perpignan. In 2019 he was named the Japanese Top League's most valuable player after leading Kobelco Steelers to their first title since 2004.
Commitment in retirement
Since retiring in 2021, Carter has worked closely with International Rugby Players Association to develop the Global Rugby Players Foundation, empowering players as they retire and helping them build their lives beyond the game. Through his DC10 Fund, he has also raised over NZD $2million in support of the most vulnerable children across the Pacific region.
"I feel so grateful that rugby has given me so much, so I want to use sport and rugby to be able to give back to people. Whether that's (helping) under-privileged children with the work I do for DC10 fund in partnership with UNICEF or my iSport Foundation, or giving back to professional rugby players and helping provide a support network for them as they transition out of the game we all love through the Global Rugby Players Foundation. It's more of a drive and motivation to want to give back because rugby has given me so much.
“The foundation (Global Players Rugby Foundation) is hugely driven to help professional rugby players - men's, women's, fifteens, sevens - to go on and be the best versions of themselves beyond the game and not just think that their best days are behind them when they do finish... I'm really proud of setting it up alongside some incredible other founders and a great team. Having the support of World Rugby and the International Rugby Players Association is really important as well. It really means a lot to me.”
Other recent winners of the International Rugby Players Association Special Merit Award include Vickii Cornborough (England), John Smit and Bryan Habana (South Africa), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Stephen Moore (Australia) and DJ Forbes (New Zealand).
