What’s the problem Dan?

There’s been a lot of talk in New Zealand about flyhalf Dan Carter’s run of poor form in the All Blacks’ Test season to date.

Carter admits that things haven’t been going too well for him on the field lately.

“I still think I’ve got plenty of room or improvement. A lot of people are judging me on the form of the last couple of years and I’m not happy with the way I’ve been playing.

“But it’s just a matter of time with all the hard work I’ve been putting in on the training ground. I need to get a lot more involved and get the ball into my hands a lot more and be the general of the All Black side — call the moves and direct play.

“I’ve got a great bunch of guys around me and supporting me and I’m as positive as ever. In the position that I play, first five, I guess it’s a real director’s role. You know you’ve got to get the ball in your hands and direct play and I guess I haven’t been doing that.

“I’ve been sitting back a little bit so I’ll make a real conscious effort to go out there and get the ball in my hands and set guys up.

“It’s more about myself than other teams getting to me or targeting me. I think there’s definitely room for improvement. I’ve been given another chance to wear the black jersey this weekend and I’m looking forward to that.

He speculated on the causes of his recent poor run.

“I’ve had a few niggling injuries which has been a bit frustrating, but I’m fine now. I’m the best I’ve been all season injury wise, so I’m looking forward to a tough challenge this weekend.

“It’s not as easy as it was the first year or the second year, obviously teams have a look at your common traits and the way you play. That’s all part of the challenge of being a football player, that’s something I love and what makes me put in the extra effort on the training paddock to overcome these situations

“Teams do rush up and put pressure and try to put you off balance but it’s using your fast feet and getting in behind them or finding a weak shoulder – often you can exploit them by putting the ball in behind with kicking and turning them around.

“In the Melbourne test we weren’t prepared to change our game plan for what the opposition were presenting us with. That goes to communication, guys identifying what’s in front of them and being prepared to change things. It was a wake-up call for us. We just weren’t able to change our game.

“Out on the field we can’t have the coaches giving us the message. We have to see what’s in front and that’s something we didn’t do.

“The expectation I have for the game, the standards I try and live up to are high and, I guess, I’m doing it for myself and this team more so than anything else. In the middle of winter it’s going to be pretty damp and dark. It’s a matter of playing the conditions, and I guess I should know how to do that.”

He noted that the win in Durban against the Springboks may have had an effect on the performance that the team delivered the following week against Australia.

“To get the result over there, where we don’t win that often, that was pretty big for us. It has happened in the past that after a big win, we can button off the following week. That may have been the case in Melbourne.”

Carter admitted that it was difficult not to think to far ahead to the upcoming World Cup and in so doing lose focus on the immediate task at hand.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it. I have certain things to pull me back into a narrow focus if I start to wander but, having said that, I’m fully focused on being in the best shape I can for the World Cup.

“But when I do start thinking about it I pull myself back into a `now’ focus and concentrate on the job ahead. If you don’t do that, you might drift out of control a little bit,” concluded the Kiwi flyhalf.

All Black team mate Aaron Mauger confirmed that there is concern over Carter’s form, but believes that it is only a matter of time before he recaptures the form that has seen him hailed as the game’s best player.

“I suppose it is a concern that Dan hasn’t been playing to the level he has in the last couple of years, but he’s still played some very good rugby,” said Mauger.

“There are signs he’s coming right and getting more confident. I don’t think it will be too long before we see Dan getting out there and playing his best rugby, perhaps even on Saturday.”