INTERVIEW DAN CARTER: Johnny Wattersongets the views of All Black and new Perpignan outhalf on his decision to take a 'sabbatical' in France.

JONAH LOMU is sprawled inside the bay window of the Intercontinental Hotel in Park Lane, London, slabs of muscle spilling out of his white vest. Former rugby player, current body builder, Lomu faces the room unafraid of eye contact, his legs stretched up the wall, his right arm splayed out towards the man regarded as the best rugby player in the world.

Beside Lomu sits Dan Carter on a hard straight-backed chair. The 26-year-old has his back turned to the room and is cradling his chin in his hand looking at the floor, nodding. His large shapeless New Zealand shirt suggests he is someone we should know but Carter, unless he is slotting into the All Black pocket, prefers his back to the world.

The mild-mannered player has become an unlikely pioneer and when he told the New Zealand Rugby Union that his thoughts for the season lay in Europe, they stopped short of somersaults in Christchurch.

The NZRU's zero tolerance attitude to their top players moving to the euro-rich euro zone was to cut them off from ever wearing an All Black top again. It was a strong deterrent. Then Carter, who after 54 Tests and an outstanding average of 15.4 points a game, stepped up to queer the pitch.

The thought of losing their 2005 IRB World Player of the Year and current play-maker on the back of another World Cup disappointment unnerved the mighty NZRU and forced them to be more creative. Doug Howlett's move to Munster has cut him out of All Black life, while other migrations of quality players such as Luke McAllister, Jerry Collins, Chris Jack and Carl Heymans was part of the growing trend that has spooked officials. That the NZRU were content to negotiate a six-month secondment for Carter to go on "sabbatical" to Perpignan has been sold as a success but the notion that he decided to move to Europe at all is widely seen as the sharp end of a threat to the tradition of New Zealand rugby.

The "New Samoa" is how one of the leading rugby writers in the country described the situation as wealthy Europe continues to asset strip the south. Carter is reportedly receiving €600,000 for his services. He will play his first Heineken Cup match in December, probably in the home and away legs of the French team's round three and four games against Leicester. Sitting quietly on his chair he has much to consider.

"No, no definitely not," he says when asked, somewhat insincerely, if he grew up dreaming of playing for Perpignan. "Definitely not. It was something that was a great opportunity . . . I'd been playing in the same competitions six straights years, Super 14, Crusaders, All Blacks. I just felt like I needed a new challenge. I approached a few clubs around this side of the world and there was one interested in me. And I spoke to guys like Scott Robertson, I've played with. He played here. Guys like that gave me insights into clubs.

"New Zealand rugby was very supportive," he adds. "I have signed with NZRU until 2011, so I'll be playing there the next three seasons. I think they understood my reasons for experiencing a different culture, get a new challenge and play in a new competition. But I'll be returning and from a New Zealand point of view it was very positive."

Carter has just returned from Catalan France where he was "overwhelmed". Over 4,000 fans turned up in Stade Aim to see him hold up a shirt he had never, before this season, given a second thought to. However, as well as the adulation, the French will also expect "voila" moments, white rabbits being pulled from hats and lots of points. Carter's short stay also means giving the public one of their favourite hits, instant gratification. It could turn into a high-wire act but his proven ability to handle the constant recognition and pressure that almost destroyed England outhalf Jonny Wilkinson is one of his trademarks. He plays what he sees and is ready for Heineken Cup and French foibles.

"It can be tough at times. But you've got to handle it," he says. "There will always be the public expectation to go out there and play well every time you put on the jersey. What's more important to me are my expectations and they over-ride everything else. I've extremely high expectations and standards that I want and goals I want to achieve on the pitch and also outside of footy.

"I also think my expectations are higher than public expectations. You can often be not so happy with games and then get a good write up, something like that. Yeah, my personal expectations are extremely high.

"It doesn't come easy. There's a lot of hard work involved, a lot of sacrifice, a lot of dedication that you have to put in to get to that level and stay at that level. Consistency is a big part of how I play the game. Things like being nominated for awards (he is again on the short list for IRB Player Of The Year) is reward for all the hard work you put it."

Carter is exceptionally polite, aware of his class-act image and is low key. He's cautious not to be controversial, commercially a safe pair of hands. It is easy to see him as some sort of corporate mannequin, with his paid for Jockeys, his paid for Adidas shirt, his clothes shops in New Zealand, his biography and his wariness with strangers. There is little excitable about him. An up-turned palm. Arching an eyebrow is an animated Dan Carter. Perfect for the 10 position.

Even his career disappointments are measured by a different rule, with last year's World Cup miss an obvious dagger through the All Black heart, but, he says, no longer festering. Carter talks like a man all spoken out about RWC 2007, bored and burnt out by the raking over the embers. It's history. It's past. It's life.

"The Heineken Cup, Europe and walking down the street unrecognised is, wage packet aside, good reason to blow out Crusaders and the Super 14.

"A big thing for me is having balance, when you're not involved in rugby and you have a break you make the most of that and I just keep completely away from rugby. It's the last thing I want to be thinking about and I really do enjoy wining and dining and enjoying life a bit more because you do sacrifice things. It's important to get the balance right.

"It's pretty tough, one of those things you've got to live with. It's frustrating when you are an extremely successful side but you haven't won the ultimate goal. Twenty years so . . . it's tough but the people back home in NZ are patient. Disappointing . . . I think that's pretty obvious. We go out to win every time we play. The beauty of sport is that you can't win every time. The times we haven't done so well are probably the most important."

After the All Blacks defeat by France in Cardiff in RWC 2007, Carter took off with his long-time girl friend, Honor Dillon, the New Zealand hockey international, and lost himself for a month among people in Europe and the Middle East who didn't know him.

"Personally I got right away from rugby," he says. "It was a chance just to do what you want. I went travelling for a month around Italy, Spain, Dubai, spent a bit of time in the UK, Maldives, all around the world really just to get away and clear my mind. By the end of that holiday I was ready to get back playing again.

"I'd put all the disappointment behind be and was ready to refocus and move forward. That was a big part.

"By the start of the season I was ready and I was enjoying my rugby this year again. Yeah, defeat took a while but by the start of the season I wasn't thinking about it anymore. It was all behind me. I thought I did it pretty well."

For the six months it will be the Sang et Or, the Blood and Gold of Perpignan. It's an appropriate name for a team that specialises in the physical aspect of the game and away matches, particularly in the French championship, are places careers can flourish or perish.

Carter's mild manner, though, belies the durable grunt inside and his ripped forearms and biceps, shaped for the speed and strength of rugby, rather than the posing pouch, is more impressively functional than the growing mass of Lomu across the room.

"I don't know if playing in France will extend my career because I'm playing more games," he says knowingly.

"It's very physical. They really pride themselves on beating the other team up. So that will be a good challenge in itself.

"But in terms of having balance outside of rugby it will be huge for me just to get away and be anonymous. Walking around parts of the world where no one cares who you are, knows who you are. It will be quite refreshing."

Come December Carter will try to deliver to Perpignan what he has managed to bring to the All Blacks, who have lost just eight times when he has featured since his debut in June 2003 as a 21-year-old. Acceleration, a side step and instincts that allow him command games bring a rare completeness to his game.

"I'm confident I can adjust," he says with a smile that says he's spoken enough. He stands up, warmly shakes hands and turns to face the window.

DAN CARTER

Born:March 5th, 1982, Canterbury.

Super 14 debut:2002.

All Black debut:2003 (age 21).

Perpignan debut:Scheduled for December 2008.

Height:1.78m.

Weight:91 kg.

Position:Outhalf.

Caps:54.

Points:(International) 825.

2004:Super 14 Player Of The Year

2005:IRB World Player Of The Year.

2006:Super 14 Player Of The Year.