Speaking at a launch event in Elm Park Golf Club as Golf Ireland and ISPS Handa announced a new partnership, the former Rugby World Cup winning All Black legend and ISPS Handa ambassador said there is no need for Sexton to make any hasty decisions.
“Everyone’s different,” said Carter (41), who retired in 2021. “I know as a rugby player, when you’re involved, you’re constantly looking at what’s next. What’s your next game? What’s your next tournament?
“But I think it would probably be really beneficial to use this time to reflect. And the more he reflects on his career, the more he can really draw some inspiration and a sense of satisfaction from the things that he achieved.
“What an incredible career that he had. Such a key figure for Irish rugby for a long period of time and right to end at the highest level. He played some fantastic rugby right up until his last game in the green jersey.
Dan Carter in Elm Park Golf Club
“It’s something to be really proud of and probably not something he thought about initially. But as time goes on, it’s something he can reflect on, and once he’s gone through that reflection process, then he can think about repurposing what it is that’s going to get him out of bed each and every day because he’s been the best rugby player possible for so long.
“So what is it that’s going to give them that fulfilment and joy and happiness in life? Only he can work that out.”
Tearful Johnny Sexton reflects on his career after Ireland lose to All Blacks
Carter, who is tipping New Zealand to beat a physical South Africa “by four” in Saturday’s World Cup showdown in Paris, spoke confidently about the All Blacks’ Rugby World Cup chances after their record 7-35 defeat to the Springboks in their final warm-up game at Twickenham in August.
The two-time World Cup winner said he was always confident New Zealand had the mental strength to produce the goods in the knockout stages when margins are tiny.
“I know in sport, you only need to be a couple of percent off mentally, and you can lose by 30 points, like they did on that occasion,” Carter said.
“The reason why there was such a big scoreline difference in that game, I’m not sure. I wasn’t involved, but they were off.
“And I know that the work they had been doing, the self-belief that the team had, and the growth they had this year before the World Cup, that was a very uncharacteristic performance from them.
“The margins are so small, not being on mentally can make a big difference. So I always knew that they could be there.
“I’ve been to four World Cups. I know just because you’re the favourites — whether that’s France or Ireland or South Africa — it doesn’t guarantee you success.
“It comes down to the little moments and little parts of the game in those playoff stages. And we’ve seen that with some of the games. It’s been such small, small margins and the team that can have that self-belief and be really clinical and accurate under the most excruciating amounts of pressure, more pressure than any team has had to perform under for the last four years, that’s a team that’s going to be victorious in a lot of those close encounters.
“So I knew the work that was going on behind the scenes with the All Blacks. And that’s what gave me the confidence.”
As for golf, 15-handicapper Carter is a global ambassador for ISPS Handa, which will become the title sponsor of the ISPS Handa Irish Open for Golfers with a Disability next year.
In addition, ISPS Handa will become the lead partner of Golf Ireland’s Golf4All programmes. Golf4ALL encompasses a range of initiatives and programmes to encourage people with disabilities to try golf and develop their skills.
“To see the growth and learn about the growth of Golf Ireland and their vision of wanting to make the sport accessible to everyone, it’s just a great synergy,” Carter said. “So I’m really excited to see how this partnership evolves.”
