Dan Carter ready to shine at World Cup after ‘fighting to earn his place’ in All Blacks line-up

It would have been inconceivable to many four years ago that twice world player of the year Dan Carter would have to prove himself ahead of a Rugby World Cup, but All Blacks coach Steve Hansen insists rugby’s all-time leading points scorer has had to earn his place.

The 33-year-old fly-half had been under immense pressure from younger rivals to perform at test level after an underwhelming two years.

That pressure was never more evident in July when Lima Sopoaga delivered a strong performance on debut against South Africa in the All Blacks’ late 27-20 win at Ellis Park.

Carter then looked pedestrian against Australia in New Zealand’s 27-19 loss in Sydney earlier this month and pundits began to question whether time and a series of leg injuries had caught up with him.

"The guy that was probably under the most pressure at that point was Daniel," Hansen said in reference to Sopoaga’s emergence this season as a genuine contender, along with Beauden Barrett and Colin Slade, for the number 10 jersey.

Carter responded from the disappointment of Sydney with a big game the following week at Eden Park, with signs that his running game was returning.

"He came out ... and played his best test match in a number of years against Australia and was telling us he’s back in form," Hansen added.

"His running of the game was great and we had established that Dan was the man we wanted to take, with the uniqueness of the rules of the tournament."