Former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw has paid tribute to his former teammate, Dan Carter, describing him as a great man, who re-defined what it meant to be a ten.
The first five announced his retirement from professional rugby after 19 years over the weekend.
He played 112 times for the national team, his last appearance coming in a man of the match display in the All Blacks win over the Wallabies in the 2015 Rugby World Cup final.
Most recently, he was with the Auckland Blues for the Super Rugby Aotearoa tournament, and before that with the Japanese side, the Kobelco Steelers.
He leaves as the all time top scorer in international rugby, having amassed nearly 1600 points.
His former Crusaders and All Blacks captain, Richie McCaw, told RNZ reporter Adam Jacobson, Carter can retire happy.