Former All Black Dan Carter back in Super Rugby

Jun 05, 2020 06:00 am

Two-time All Blacks World Cup winner Dan Carter yesterday announced a shock Super Rugby comeback with Auckland Blues at the age of 38, saying he realised during the coronavirus lockdown how much he missed the game.

Carter, a three-time World Player of the Year, has been a free agent since returning to New Zealand in March from Japan, where a virus-enforced shutdown ended his lucrative stint with Kobe Steelers.

The signing comes as New Zealand's Super Rugby teams prepare to start a domestic tournament next week, after Covid-19 halted the southern hemisphere championship in March.

Carter has not played in his homeland since his international retirement in 2015.

Blues coach Leon MacDonald said Carter signed a short-term deal as cover for injured fullback Stephen Perofeta. As a replacement player, Carter will reportedly be on a minimum contract worth NZ$1,800 (S$1,600) a week, a huge cut from the millions he earned playing club rugby in France and Japan.

"It's definitely not about money, he's not getting rich doing it," MacDonald said. - AFP