The former All Blacks player is in France for the World Cup. A country he knows well, having played first in Perpignan then at Racing 92.
Double world champion (2011 and 2015), three times named best player on the planet, Dan Carter has left his mark on the history of New Zealand and world rugby. While in Paris for the World Cup in France, the former All Black presents his book, The art of winning published in August by Marabout editions. He draws lessons from a career that has taken him all over the world, and intends to share them with people in their daily lives.
Franceinfo: sport: In France, we call retirement from sport a “little death”. How did you experience this transition in your life?
Dan Carter: I don’t really like all the terminology around the end of a career. Even the term retirement, as an athlete, you’re in your twenties, thirties, and you’re talking about retirement, it’s not a word you should use until you’re in your sixties. But it’s hard to miss it since people around you talk about it so much. That doesn’t help. I would like us to see this in a much more inspiring way. We are not defined by the sports we played. We are human beings, we are our own person. And often, when we stop playing, we have a very bright future ahead of us. Personally, I believe that since I stopped playing rugby, I am on a new starting line, and it is very exciting since I have all the experience and knowledge that I learned while playing rugby. rugby professionally to help me make the next chapter even bigger. Many athletes, upon retiring, believe that the best days of their lives are behind them, that they will never experience adrenaline or success again. But that’s how it is, it’s just different. You have to accept it and work on what will move you forward.
Why did you decide to write this book and tell your story in the form of a lesson and advice?
I was in a period of transition away from rugby, I had just finished my career and I felt a little lost. When I was playing, I had very clear goals, like being the best player I could be. It was what motivated me every day. After I stopped, I started to wonder who I was, now that I was no longer Dan Carter the rugby player. I needed to find meaning to approach this next chapter of my life. This is what led to the writing of this book. I wanted to share all these thoughts because it’s not just in sport, it’s in life in general, everyone has to face changes. We learn lessons from it. For my part, I realized that I was obsessed with winning, winning and leading, leadership. I wanted to share this experience and these lessons, to help people.
You look back on all the great lessons of your professional career, if you had to remember only one, which one would you choose?
One of the most important chapters for me is resilience. If I am here today, it is not thanks to my victories, it is not thanks to my World Cups. I think the person I am today comes from everything I learned in the bad times, the injuries, the failures, the disappointments of not being able to achieve my goals. These moments made me stronger. What I am today came from my ability to bounce back.
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You talk about inspiration, you are inspiring a player at this very moment, Romain Ntamack, victim of a serious injury before the World Cup. He revealed that you talked with him. What did you tell him? Have you spoken about your own experience of missing a World Cup at home through injury (in 2011)? Is it important for you to continue to help and inspire younger people?
I am very proud to be able to help the youngest, whether it is the next generation who are already playing, or even children. It makes me very happy to be able to share what I have learned. Regarding Romain, it’s very difficult for him because he’s a great boy. I just wanted to tell him that I was thinking of him, that I went through the same thing, and that I used it as motivation to come back even stronger. In 2011, when I got injured at the start of the World Cup in New Zealand, nothing made sense anymore. But four years later, I was able to play an important role in helping the All Blacks make history by winning back-to-back World Cups. It’s what I learned from this disappointment that made me stronger to excel. So even though it’s very difficult for him right now, if he continues to work hard and stays very positive, he will come back stronger and ready for big things that will happen in the rest of his career.
There is a chapter in your book called “Pressure is a Privilege.” Is playing a World Cup at home a pressure or a privilege?
It’s definitely a privilege. Under pressure, you must change your mindset. In 2011, everyone was talking about the pressure around New Zealand. But as a player, you experience things differently. You go there and you play. If I could choose just one place to play a World Cup, which one would it be? Any player would choose their country. It’s a real privilege to play in your country, in front of your friends, your family, to play in a familiar environment. So yes, it is definitely a privilege, at the moment, for the French, to play a World Cup in France.
You played for several years in France. What did this experience bring you? How has this changed you?
Playing in France really made me open to other cultures. You realize that people can do things very differently. The way we work in New Zealand is not necessarily the best way. You have to learn to adapt to the environments around you. And it’s very important not to be frustrated by this difference. I learned to be patient, to discover this environment. And once you have earned the respect of the people around you, you can start making suggestions, gradually implementing your strengths and your way of doing things. So I will be forever grateful for the time I spent in France and for playing here. Then I went to Japan and I also learned new things. When I look back, I am proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and learning and living in different environments and countries.
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Did you dream as a child that rugby would take you all over the world?
I never imagined leaving New Zealand when I was a child. I grew up in a small village of 700 inhabitants and I didn’t think I would leave at all, or go further than Christchurch, which was the closest big city. And even less live on the other side of the world, in France, go and play rugby all over the world. That’s one of the best things about playing professionally: you get the chance to travel, to discover new cultures.
How do you perceive the evolution of rugby, compared to the time when you started your career?
Rugby has changed a lot since I started. It was a professional sport, but it was still quite immature in what we were doing. I think about the drinking culture, for example, or the fact that there wasn’t a lot of emphasis on recovery. We had psychologists, but we didn’t really go to see them. Even among teammates, we told ourselves that it wasn’t very normal to go see a psychologist. Now when you say that, you’re the one that’s not normal, because it helps so much with preparation and mental health. Today, great importance is given to recovery, rehabilitation, nutrition, that’s what has really evolved compared to my time. It’s positive to see.