AUCKLAND: New Zealand's 29-year-old star fly-half Dan Carter has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup after tearing the adductor longus tendon in his groin. This comes as a great tragedy for the team, which is about to enter crucial play-off matches. All Black's coach Graham Henry has expressed the injuries huge blow on Carter, highlighting that he has been “focusing on this tournament for the last couple of years.” Henry went on to say, “he has been probably one of the greatest players produced by this country and this was gong to be his pinnacle.” Deb Robinson, the All Blacks doctor, has said that Carter had “no history whatsoever of groin strain” which makes his injury, at such a key moment in the tournament, even more unfortunate. Carter will be consulting a specialist tomorrow and may require surgery depending on the extent of the injury. The All Blacks are still favorites to win the Webb Ellis Cup, which they have not been able to do since 1987. BM
