Dan Carter and Richie McCaw rank their five toughest opponents

Wednesday, 09 November 2022 at 10:00

byRugby Rucker

Dan Carter and Richie McCaw have both opened up about the toughest players they respectively faced in their illustrious playing careers.

The pair of All Blacks legends have now both hung up their boots so they can speak a little more openly than they may have during their long and successful careers.

Carter hooked up with his former captain McCaw for the first of a two-part interview.

Topics range from McCaw’s bagpipe skills to his unique pre-match ritual. The former skipper’s relentless attention to detail and goal-setting was the stuff of legend.

Carter and McCaw: Toughest opponents

#5. Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)

Position Winger
Height 6 ft 5 in
Weight 262 lb
Caps 63

Carter said: "He bowled me over about 5m when I tried to tackle him in one of my first games. A superstar. Gutted I never played with him."

McCaw said: "When I first became an All Black he was in the team. To play alongside a guy you have watched as a young fella was pretty amazing. He made me look silly in training more than once”

Jonah Lomu facts:

Playing on the wing Lomu finished his international career with 63 caps and 37 tries
He became the youngest ever All Black when he played his first international in 1994 at the age of 19 years and 45 days
Lomu was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame on 9 October 2007, and the IRB Hall of Fame on 24 October 2011
In 1996, McDonald’s New Zealand named a burger after Lomu, temporarily rebranding the McFeast burger line (called “Mega Feast” in New Zealand) as the “Jonah Burger”
On 9 April 2007, Lomu appeared on New Zealand’s version of
This Is Your Life, in which he was reunited with long time friend Grant Kereama, who had donated a kidney to Lomu when he underwent a kidney transplant in July 2004
Lomu lent his name to various video games including Jonah Lomu Rugby

#4. Thierry Dusautoir (France)

Position Back-row
Height 6 ft 2 in
Weight 218 lb
Caps 80

MCCAW SAID: "Over the years I've played him a few times and you always know he's there. He was always pretty big defensively and in the breakdown area. A menace"

CARTER SAID: "He had some blinding games in big moments — none more so than in the 2007 and 2011 World Cup games against the All Blacks."

DID YOU KNOW? He broke the record for most tackles in a match, making 38 tackles against the All Blacks in the 2007 World Cup

3. Jonny Wilkinson (England)

Position Fly-half
Height 6 ft 10 in
Weight 200 lb
Caps 97

CARTER SAID: "You might of heard of him? Former England captain and Toulon player Jonny is probably the closest thing I've seen to the perfect rugby player."

MCCAW SAID: "He'll go down as one of the greats of world rugby.”

DID YOU KNOW? Wilkinson's brother, Mark, was also a Newcastle player who made 16 appearances in the Premiership for the side between 2002 and 2005, predominantly as a centre

#2. Schalk Burger (South Africa)

Position Back-row
Height 6 ft 4 in
Weight 242 lb
Caps 86

MCCAW SAID: "You can come up against another tough team but never feel like you have had a tough match against your opposite. But with Burger you knew where they are going to be and how hard they play near the ball."

CARTER SAID: "I kept looking at my All Black jersey wondering if I had a target like in the middle of the jersey or something because he kept coming for me. He was having a huge battle with our big forward pack. He just kept going. He didn’t stop. He was physical and just his leg drive was incredible. A real competitor and absolute top bloke off the field as well. His mindset was a little bit different when he was out there competing. That just made him such a tough opponent to come up against.”

#1. George Smith (Australia)

Position Back-row
Height 5 ft 11 in
Weight 233 lb
Caps 111

McCaw said: "Smith was always pretty tough. I remember playing him when I was in the under 19s against Australia and remember then thinking just what a good player he is. I've never seen a guy as gifted in all facets of the game.”

Carter said: "I used to hate playing this guy because he was so bloody good. A true legend of the game."