Dan Carter beats Richie McCaw to be voted rugby's player of the decade

Dan Carter has beaten out fellow All Blacks great Richie McCaw to be voted the player of the decade.

World Rugby last week launched a bracket style poll to be voted by the fans to help name the best player of the last 10 years.

16 players were nominated, seven of which were All Blacks, with McCaw and Carter winning out through to the final.

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In fact, the final four were all New Zealanders with Carter advancing to the final over Beauden Barrett and McCaw also beating incumbent captain Kieran Read.

Carter beat out McCaw with the final result announced today.

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The announcement of Carter as the world’s best player of the decade comes after the 37-year-old Kobelco Steelers playmaker won two World Cup titles in 2011 and 2015, while also claiming World Rugby Player of the Year awards in 2012 and 2015.

In 2013, he became an All Black centurion when he made his 100th test appearance against England at Twickenham, which was the same ground of which he signed off his international career on in New Zealand’s 34-17 World Cup final win over the Wallabies two years later.

Carter was named man of the match in that fixture, as he controlled the tempo of the game from first-five and guided the All Blacks to safety through his boot in the final 10 minutes to help secure the first-ever back-to-back World Cup crowns.

Former @AllBlacks captain Kieran Read has opened up about an injury which he played through during New Zealand's @rugbyworldcup semi-final defeat to England.https://t.co/hOnP4x7Lzk

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 23, 2019

The former Crusaders and Canterbury pivot ended his tenure in New Zealand with 1598 test points to his name from 112 outings, and has since gone on to win domestic titles in France and Japan with Racing 92 and Kobelco, respectively.

Carter will soon be back in action in the Top League with the Steelers alongside fellow New Zealanders Brodie Retallick, Andy Ellis, Richard Buckman, Tom Franklin, Hayden Parker, Matt Vant Leven, Sefo Kautai and Charlie Lawrence.

The nonagon of Kiwis, of whom are coached by fellow countrymen Dave Dillon and Wayne Smith, could all take part in Kobelco’s opening match of the 2020 Top League campaign, which kicks-off against the Canon Eagles in Kobe on January 12.

– With New Zealand Herald

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