Photo: Steindy (talk) 16:04, 10 November 2016 (UTC) / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
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Tottenham defender Ben Davies met All Blacks legend Dan Carter following Spurs' 2-0 victory over Auckland FC at Eden Park on July 27, a match played in front of 40,112 — a record attendance for a men's football match in New Zealand.
Davies, who grew up in Neath and was 10 years old when Carter made his Test debut against Wales in June 2003, came on for the final 30 minutes of the win before meeting the fly-half after the game.
"I grew up a big rugby fan, obviously, and watched Dan Carter dominate against Wales time and time again. He's an absolute legend. I used to love watching him as a kid," Davies said.
Carter holds the all-time international points record in rugby union with 1,598 points in 112 Tests between 2003 and 2015, the only player to surpass the 1,500-point mark. He won the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and 2015 and was named World Rugby Player of the Year three times. He retired in 2020 after spells at Racing 92 in France and Kobelco Steelers in Japan.
Carter scored 20 points on his debut against Wales — a try and six conversions — as New Zealand won 55-3, the match a 10-year-old Davies watched from home.
Davies said Eden Park carried particular significance beyond football. "We've done lots of big things with Spurs, toured different places, but Eden Park's special. I've watched Wales play here, watched the British Lions play here, and it's a fortress for the All Blacks."
"It was really cool to play here. It's a bit strange to see all the football goals up, not the rugby posts, but it's an epic stadium, one I can probably say that not too many Welshmen have walked off the pitch winning. It was a special day," he added.