All Blacks World Cup winner Dan Carter says Scott Robertson’s side has the talent to challenge for the 2027 Rugby World Cup but warns New Zealand will fall short unless they improve their execution in pressure moments over the next two seasons.
Speaking at the World Cup draw, where the Kiwis were grouped with Australia, Chile and Hong Kong China in Pool A, Carter said the squad being built under Robertson is strong enough to compete for the title in Australia, despite an inconsistent start to the new era.
“I think they’ve definitely got the players to win a World Cup,” Carter said. “They’ve been working on building depth but now we just need to start working on combinations, consistency and monitoring the growth over the next two years.”
Carter said New Zealand’s issues have been less about personnel and more about failing to execute opportunities when matches tighten.
Dan Carter. (Photo by Richard Heathcote – World Rugby via Getty Images/World Rugby via Getty Images)
Robertson has faced persistent scrutiny since replacing Ian Foster after the 2023 final, with back-to-back patchy campaigns prompting debate over the All Blacks’ direction. Carter said heightened expectations come with the territory and should be embraced rather than avoided.
“We’ve got to support Razor and the beauty with New Zealand is we’re just so passionate and have such high expectations, and I love that pressure that it brings to the team and the head coach,” Carter said.
“He’s been trying to grow depth and he’s been quite open about that, but there’s been key moments in the last couple of seasons that we just haven’t quite delivered, so as long as he’s learning from those, and I’m confident that he will and the coaching group will be learning from those losses, then they’ll only grow and continue to get better.
“As long as they are continuing to grow and improve then they’ve put themselves in good stead for a good look at 2027.
“You don’t win World Cups two years out from the tournament. So, just as long as the trajectory is forward over the next couple years, they’ll definitely put themselves in the best possible shape to do that.”
Along with a potential blockbuster opening game against the Wallabies in Perth – the schedule will be decided in February – the All Blacks are on a collision course with South Africa in the quarterfinals. The teams faced off in the 2023 final with the Springboks grabbing a one-point win.
Carter, a two-time World Cup winner, said the intensity and volatility of the tournament environment will expose any cracks in preparation.
“There are different expectations and pressures,” Carter said.
“Things happen in World Cups that you can’t even imagine, whether it’s referee decisions or cards or injuries, you just don’t know.
“So, you want the drivers of the team to just be doing the fundamentals of the game and performing under those extreme amounts of pressure.”
Before the draw took place, Carter told viewers of the live show that he was tipping a trans-Tasman clash in the pool stage.
“I was kind of joking that potentially us neighbours, Australia and New Zealand, could be in the same pool for the first time, and sure enough that’s the way it went. That’d be a huge game in pool A,” said Carter.
Carter, considered the greatest No.10 to play the game, tried to sidestep a question around who should wear the jersey for the All Blacks in 2027.
Richie Mo’unga will be heading home to stake his claims up against Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett.
“Oh, jeez. Your guess is as good as mine,” he said when asked who might start in Australia. “Obviously, Beaudy’s been steering the ship this year. We had DMac for the majority of last year, and we’ve got Richie Mo’unga coming back.
“What I love about that is the competition. Everyone has the opportunity to grab a hold of that jersey, but they’ll all be competing, and that’s exactly what you want.”
The Roarhttps://www.theroar.com.au/2025/12/04/got-the-players-dan-carter-says-all-blacks-can-win-2027-rwc-but-only-if-razor-fixes-one-key-problem/‘Got the players’: Dan Carter says All Blacks can win 2027 RWC – but only if Razor fixes one key problem
Post a Comment