Dan Carter

On winning this Special Merit award:

 “It's a huge privilege to receive the International Rugby Players Association Special Merit Award. It's not why I do what I do, to receive awards like this, but I guess it's a combination of the hard work and dedication that I put in on the rugby field, as a professional rugby player, but also since my transition out of the game, my willingness to want to give back to people through philanthropic work, it really is a huge honour.”

On his career reflections:

“My personal career highlight has been that dream that I had as a five-year-old boy turned into a reality, when I got a chance to represent my country and play for the All Blacks for the first time in 2003. It was such a special moment receiving my very first All Black jersey and representing my country. I never thought that day would ever happen, but for it to actually happen and continue to have the career that I did, it was the start of something very special.”

On how his charity work takes him back to his origins:

“I guess why I'm so driven to do charity work is because I feel so grateful that rugby has given me so much, so I want to use sport and rugby to be able to give back to people. Whether that's (helping) under-privileged children with the work I do for DC10 fund in partnership with UNICEF or my iSport Foundation, or giving back to professional rugby players and helping provide a support network for them as they transition out of the game we all love through the Global Rugby Players Foundation. It's more of a drive and motivation to want to give back because rugby has given me so much."

On the growth of the women’s game (speaking on the eve of the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 final):

“I know how much work has gone in for these players, how much dedication, the sacrifices they've made, the work ethic that they've put in to get to those moments. To be able to go out there and express themselves and do what they love in front of incredible crowds, it's been a real highlight for me.

“To see the interaction these women have with the fans, and how the fans have shown their appreciation by coming out in huge numbers all through the World Cup - what a finale it's going to be on Saturday, an incredible final between England and Canada. The sport is on a real high and there's a lot that the men's game can learn from the women’s game."

On the Global Rugby Players Foundation:

“Having transitioned out of the game that’s given me so much, and the challenges that I faced when hanging up the boots, I realised that there was a piece of the puzzle that was missing in terms of a professional rugby player's career, and that was that transition and having that support network.

“The foundation is hugely driven to help professional rugby players - men's, women's, 15s, sevens - to go on and be the best versions of themselves beyond the game and not just think that their best days are behind them when they do finish.

“There's just so much you can learn and grow and having that support network as a transition out of the game is something I'm really proud of setting up alongside some incredible other founders and a great team. Having the support of World Rugby and the International Rugby Players Association is really important as well. It really means a lot to me.”