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Leon MacDonald lifts lid on Dan Carter's playing future with the Blues

(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Dan Carter will not return for the Blues next season, despite coach Leon MacDonald’s protestations, but could still feature for the Auckland franchise behind the scenes.

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Carter signed for the Blues last season but didn’t end up getting any playing time thanks to the Covid-enforced cancellation of the final Super Rugby Aotearoa clash against the Crusaders, where he was set to make his debut.

While there was never really an expectation that Carter would return as a player to the franchise, it didn’t stop MacDonald from trying to persuade the 38-year-old to return once again.

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      MacDonald ultimately wasn’t successful in his plea to the former All Black No 10, but remains hopeful of convincing him to help the Blues’ playmakers next season in a non-playing capacity, especially with Beauden Barrett away on a short-term deal in Japan.

      “I was pretty relentless with Dan,” MacDonald said. “He would have been great because he would have given us that experience that we’ve lost with Beauden Barrett going around preparation. He’s just down the road so I’m hoping we see him around even if it’s just with the kickers having some sort of input.”

      Carter, 38, bowed out of international rugby after leading the All Blacks to victory at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

      The three-time World Rugby Player of the Year then spent three seasons in Paris with Racing 92 before joining the Kobelco Steelers in Japan in 2018.

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      However, the global pandemic put an early end to domestic rugby in Japan in 2020 and Carter decided to return to New Zealand to take up a role with the Blues in Super Rugby Aotearoa.

      Carter said his role with the Blues was always more about coaching and mentorship as opposed to contributing as a player.

      “It wasn’t about me getting on the pitch,” Carter Carter said in an interview with 66 Magazine last month.. “It was about helping the team grow and sharing my experience with the younger guys and the leadership group. I can’t help myself though: I missed rugby.”

      https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1334651882971619328

      If MacDonald gets his way, Carter could feature behind the scenes with the Blues once again but his playing future remains uncertain with international borders remaining closed.

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      Carter made three appearances for his boyhood club side Southbridge this year, which successfully defended its Ellesmere senior competition title with the superstar on board.

      Meanwhile, the Blues announced their squad for Super Rugby Aotearoa 2021 this week, which includes 12 current or former All Blacks and two Samoa World Cup players in their 38-strong squad that comprises seven rookies.

      However, as first reported by the Herald, the Blues have left one spot for an international test star who they are in talks with.

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      reginaldgarcia 42 minutes ago
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      JW 1 hour ago
      Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

      MP are a NZ side through and through, NZ is even having to pay for it.

      Yes they caved to public demand, I bet it accomplished a lot of internal goals. They could have left it to the other groups, but I’m of the belief that they weren’t showing the capability to make it work as being a good reason for NZR to jump in and do it. I think it’s actually funded 50/50 between NZR and WR though.

      (when nothing was stopping a pi player playing for any side in Super Rugby)

      Neither is that fact true. Only 3 non NZ players are allowed in each squad.


      I see you also need to learn what the term poach means - take or acquire in an unfair or clandestine way. - Moana have more slots for non eligible players (and you have seen many return to an NZ franchise) so players are largely making their own choice without any outside coercion ala Julian Savea.

      Not one of these Kiwis and Aussies would go live in the Islands to satisfy any criteria, and I’d say most of them have hardly ever set foot in the islands, outside of a holiday.

      Another inaccurate statement. Take Mo’unga’s nephew Armstrong-Ravula, if he is not eligible via ancestry in a couple of generations time, he will be eligible because he plays his rugby there (even if he’s only their for rugby and not living there), that is a recent change made by World Rugby to better reflect examples like Fabian Holland and Fakatava.

      It’s becoming the jump-ship/zero loyalty joke that international League is.

      Look I understand you’re reason to cry and make an example at any opportunity, but you don’t really need to anymore, other recent changes made by WR are basically going to stop the Ireland situation, and time (perhaps no more than a decade) will fix the rest.

      26 Go to comments
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