1000 Points and Counting:- The Dan Carter Story

On the eve of his 68th cap for his country, Daniel William Carter has been placed among the giants of world rugby.

He is now only the fourth player in Rugby history to score in excess of 1,000 test points, and is now the third on the all - times list with only Welshman Neil Jenkins, and the legend Jonny Wilkinson  stand above him.

When Carter started playing rugby in his native Christchurch, never would he have thought his rise to the summit of world rugby would have come so quickly.

Having made his provincial debut with Christchurch at inside centre, Carter turned many heads. 

So much so that he made his All-Blacks test debut a year later, at 12 aged just 21.

He scored 20 points in that game and has never looked back earning an international points per game average of 15.1 (a record).

It took Carter almost a year to displace the legend Carlos Spencer at fly half but on the All-Blacks 2004 UK tour he did just that, and the name Daniel Carter was on many fans lips.

The talk had begun. Many had seen very little of Carter and when he arrived on British soil to systematically dismantle each team piece by piece.

Carter led the All-Blacks to twice beating at the time reigning world champions England to an aggregate score of 72-15, in addition to a 45-6 demolition of the French.

2005 was truly his year though, when after two outstanding performances against the British and Irish Lions, including a 33 points in one test (2 tries, 5 pens, 4 cons), was named IRB Player of the year.

The domestic season that followed for Carter something special also - The individual points record in a Super Rugby season. 

221 points in total broke the then record of 214 by Carter's idol Andrew Merhtens.

Carter became a hot commodity overnight and was sought after by many of the wealthy European clubs, including Toulon and Cardiff before signing for Perpignan for around £30,000 a game.

That was not before being offered £750,000 a year by Toulouse.

Now at the age of 28, still having not reached his prime, Carter has the rugby world at his feet. He is clearly the poster boy of world rugby - He has the talent, the looks and the personality. Not to mention the advertising campaigns.

Now lying just 164 points behind Jonny Wikinson, he has every chance of becoming the highest points scorer ever but the one thing he hasn't managed in his illustrious career so far is a World Cup winners medal.

No amount of Tri-Nations and Grand Slam tour victories can fill the void of being perennial world cup "chokers".

Carter and the All Blacks will undoubtedly go into the 2011 Tournament on home soil as overwhelming favourites, but all eyes will be on whether or not they can become the first All Black side since the inaugural tournament in 1987.

If any generation of players deserve it, it is of course the likes of Carter, McCaw and Rokocoko, but whether they do what the Spanish football team did and finally fulfill all their potential and win a major tournament, only time will tell.