Many pundits rate Dan the best first five-eighths in the world. He has a vast arsenal of skills including sharp acceleration, deceptive strength, a dangerous side-step, an astute tactical kicking game along with a mental toughness and calmness under fire that belie his youth. Along with All Black captain Richie McCaw, he is a player who can change the fortunes of his team.

It has been a whirlwind rise for the boy from Leeston, a town of 1300 near Christchurch. He top-scored for New Zealand at the 2002 Under 21 World Cup in South Africa with 72 points and the next season found himself in a Crusaders jersey and then - at the tender age of 21 - was named in All Blacks.

He arrived in the world on 5 March 1982 and its not much exaggeration to say he was born with a rugby ball in his hands. His father, Neville Carter, a builder, was a long-serving Southbridge and Canterbury Country first five-eighths and although Dan filled many of the backline roles and made his debut in the black jersey at second five-eighths, it's that same game-controlling position he was cut out for.

His Mum, Bev, a schoolteacher, and sister Sarah, are equally supportive despite - says Dan - his mother's propensity to worry when he kicks for goal or is slow to rise after a crunching tackle.

He made rapid progress, making his first tackle (on his mother) aged three, stepped onto the Ellesmere rugby grounds aged six, and on his eighth birthday received from his parents a set of full-size, steel goal posts. The posts were erected on a piece of land they owned next door to the family home and when Carter wasn't practising stepping off both feet on his way to imaginary tries he was spending countless hours kicking at goal.

"He gets his confidence," says All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith, "from the knowledge that he does his work. He never takes shortcuts. On a Wednesday after a big test match he may be really sore but we have about an hour and forty minute kicking session - he still goes through all the drills and all the kicks." It's that work that enables him to kick almost as well off his right foot as he does naturally with his left.

Dan scored 20 points against Wales in his All Blacks Test debut in 2003 and two years later in his third test against the Red Dragons, he scored 26 points, an individual single-match record for an All Black.  He took the same record against England scoring 21 points in 2004, and against the British and Irish Lions (33 points in the Second Test, Wellington) in 2006, and equalled the record with 25 points against South Africa last year.

He has scored 20 tries and lies second on the All Blacks all-time points scoring list behind Andrew Mehrtens.