Dan Carter v Australia – 2015 Rugby World Cup Final
A defining drop goal for the greatest of all time. Dan Carter made up for his personal heart-break of 2011, as the most unfortunately timed groin injury saw the fly half removed from the All Blacks squad during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The cruelness of sport held no bounds for Carter, as the injury took place in training, and Carter was forced to watch on from the side-line, as the All Blacks defeated France in the 2011 final on home New Zealand soil.
After an arduous four year wait, the 2015 Rugby World Cup would end Carter’s fairy-tale with the All Blacks. Going into the tournament, it had been confirmed that the 2015 competition would be the last dance for six legendary All Blacks. Carter, Richie McCaw, Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Kevin Mealamu and Tony Woodcock would all wear the black jersey for the last time, making this a true ‘do or die’ competition.
The final itself played out like a dramatic battle of good versus evil. Age old rivals New Zealand and Australia met at Twickenham Stadium, and the All Blacks were off to a fast start. Carter got points on the board in the early goings, and Nehe Milner-Skudder’s try established a 16-3 lead at half time. Ma’a Nonu’s career encapsulating solo try from the Wallabies 10m, built a healthy 21-3 lead early in the second half.
Yet the Wallabies battled back, with tries from David Pocock and Tevita Kuridrani narrowing the game to just four points. Then with 10 minutes left to play, Carter took the reigns once again, and orchestrated the All Blacks to pull away from the Wallabies. This started with his stunning 40m drop goal, to stretch the All Blacks lead to seven points, and wound the mentality of Australia. The Wallabies never recovered from the set back, and the floodgates opened for Beauden Barrett’s match-winning try, marking a victorious end to a legendary era of the All Blacks.
It was only fitting for Barrett to score the try, which put the game out of reach for Australia. In the match which saw Carter pass the torch to his successor, Barrett’s try marked the beginning of a new generation of All Blacks. Carter’s final conversion sent the fly half off into the sunset, with the perfect Rugby World Cup winning swansong.