Dan Carter receives IRPA Special Merit Award

All Black legend Dan Carter has been presented with the International Rugby Players Association Special Merit Award at the World Rugby Awards, held in London on the eve of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 final.

Carter is widely considered the most complete fly-half in history and a modern day All Blacks great. His attacking flair, tactical brilliance and deadly goal-kicking combined to create a player who was exhilarating to watch and daunting to face. 

From humble beginnings at his hometown club Southbridge in New Zealand’s South Island, Carter became a genuine global rugby icon, playing on multiple continents and proving a serial winner. 

Carter’s 1,598 test points for New Zealand still stand as the all-time record and he was named World Rugby player of the year three times. In all, he won 112 test caps for New Zealand, playing an instrumental role in two Rugby World Cup triumphs, nine Rugby Championship titles and a career-launching display against the British and Irish Lions on home soil in 2005. 

Carter’s club career was equally impressive in its global span and appeal. He claimed three Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders and holds the competition’s points record with 1,708.

In 2016, he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit and in that same year helped guide Racing to France’s Top 14 title, which he also won with Perpignan.

In 2019 he was named the Japanese Top League’s most valuable player after leading Kobelco Steelers to their first title since 2004.

Since retiring in 2021, Carter has worked closely with International Rugby Players Association to develop the Global Rugby Players Foundation, empowering players as they retire and helping them build their lives beyond the game. Through his DC10 Fund, he has also raised over NZD $2million in support of the most vulnerable children across the Pacific region.

International Rugby Players Association Chief Executive, Omar Hassanein, said: “Dan is such a deserved recipient of this Award and it’s a great honour to present it to him. 

“The whole (GRPF) thing started from a conversation in a pub with Dan, myself and Conrad Smith over 5 years ago and Dan’s dedication and support for this has been unwavering ever since. He brought other guys like Thierry Dusautoir, Jonny Wilkinson and Richie McCaw on board and he’s taken it from a concept to an independent entity that now helps retired players all around the world and will go on to bigger and better things.” 

Other recent winners of the International Rugby Players Association Special Merit Award include Vickii Cornborough (England), John Smit and Bryan Habana (South Africa), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland), Stephen Moore (Australia) and DJ Forbes (New Zealand).