He has been a very good player for Sale and Toulouse and he even played some good rugby for the Blues. However he was never a good All Black. I don't think you can blame the coaches for that either, he just wasn't able to make the transition to test rugby.
In any other country he'd have been a superstar. But as was said above, Dan Carter kept a lot of good inside backs at bay during his career. I love watching him on Eurosport every weekend, he is having a great season.
He could have been a Superstar in NZ if he hadn't left at the age of 24. His best position was (and still is) 12, so he wasn't competing with Dan Carter for a position. He was easily the top ranked 12 in the country when he left, and his main competition for the jersey (Aaron Mauger) had already signed to play at Leicester. Had he stayed I firmly believe he would have close to 70 AB's caps to his name, be Rugby World Cup winner, and be held in a very similar regard to Dan Carter.....
He could have been a Superstar in NZ if he hadn't left at the age of 24. His best position was (and still is) 12, so he wasn't competing with Dan Carter for a position. He was easily the top ranked 12 in the country when he left, and his main competition for the jersey (Aaron Mauger) had already signed to play at Leicester. Had he stayed I firmly believe he would have close to 70 AB's caps to his name, be Rugby World Cup winner, and be held in a very similar regard to Dan Carter.....