Dan the £1m rugby man

19 December 2014 - 02:03 By Daniel Schofield, © The Daily Telegraph
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CATCH HIM IF YOU CAN: Dan Carter could be the first of Toulon's 'Quatre Fantastiques'
CATCH HIM IF YOU CAN: Dan Carter could be the first of Toulon's 'Quatre Fantastiques'
Image: SANDRA MU/GETTY IMAGES

Racing Metro announced in Paris, France, yesterday, the signing of All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter as the world's first £1-million (R18-million) rugby player.

Carter will join the Top 14 side after the World Cup next year. Despite the fact that Carter will be 33 by then and also despite the fact that he has suffered 10 separate injuries since October 2011, Racing president Jacky Lorenzetti did not hesitate to sign the cheque.

Racing had previously considered moving for Matt Giteau to replace Jonathan Sexton, who is returning to Leinster at the end of this season. Giteau instead signed a lucrative new contract worth £700000 a season at Toulon in September, paving the way for Carter to become the world's highest-paid player.

Few would begrudge Carter such a payday. For all his many accomplishments and accolades as the world-record points scorer, he remains a remarkably down-to-earth individual and has had rotten luck with injuries since a groin strain ruled him out of the World Cup knockout stages in 2011. He took a six-month sabbatical this year that was supposed to allow his body to recover, only to fracture his right fibula in the Super 15 final a couple of games into his comeback, which ruled him out of the Rugby Championship.

That has allowed Aaron Cruden and Beauden Barrett to stake their claims for the New Zealand No10 shirt, but there is no doubt that a fit and firing Carter would be selected to spearhead the All Blacks' defence of their World Cup crown.

With New Zealand holding a policy of not selecting overseas-based players, the tournament could prove to be his international swan song.

Both Carter and Racing will hope that his move proves to be more successful than his previous spell in France when he signed for Perpignan in 2008. Again, he became the world's highest-paid rugby player on a £500000 six-month deal only to rupture his Achilles tendon in just his sixth game for the club.

Carter is unlikely to be the only All Black who will be staying in Europe after the World Cup. Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal has repeatedly made reference to signing the Quatre Fantastiques, which almost certainly includes Richie McCaw, Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu.

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