Dan Carter has already won three Super Rugby titles, but a win in Saturday night’s final in Brisbane would mean the most.

Given all the disruptions the Crusaders and their fellow Cantabrians have endured this year, Carter said after yesterday morning’s 29-10 semifinal win over the Stormers that beating the Queensland Reds in the final would top the lot.

Carter and his Crusaders teammates have been affected by the earthquakes, the damage to AMI Stadium forcing them to play every match out of Christchurch.

Now they are just one win away from capping off a remarkable season in which they played all 17 matches away from home.

Carter said to win this competition would be very special for the Crusaders after everything they have been through and also for the people back home.

Tucked inside their changing shed under the Newlands stands after the match, the Crusaders belted out their victory song, but Carter said the unspoken understanding was that they had one more hurdle to leap.

The Super 15 final will now involve two of the world’s best first five eighths eyeballing each other, with Carter preparing to mark New Zealand born Quade Cooper at Suncorp Stadium.

Carter said Cooper has just grown from the way he played last year and he really is the danger man.


Story by: Vijay Narayan