Life’s no beach for Hong Kong-bound Dan Carter despite leading Racing 92 to top of table

Dan Carter admitted having to shelve thoughts of a warm New Zealand beach as he battled driving rain and wind to lead Racing 92 to the top of the Top 14 table in a hard-fought 23-18 victory over Bordeaux-Bègles late Saturday.

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Racing 92 fly-half Dan Carter (right) runs with the ball during a French Top 14 triumph over Bordeaux-Bègles late Saturday at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes. Photos: AFP

Published: 12:30am, 4 Jan 2016Updated: 9:04am, 9 Jan 2016

Dan Carter admitted having to shelve thoughts of a warm New Zealand beach as he battled driving rain and wind to lead Racing 92 to the top of the Top 14 table in a hard-fought 23-18 victory over Bordeaux-Bègles late Saturday.

The former All Blacks fly-half, who will play in Hong Kong on February 6 when Racing 92 tackle reigning Super Rugby champions Highlanders in the Natixis Cup, was instrumental in the win in his first French league start at Stade Yves-du-Manoir in the Parisian surburb of Colombes.

While the inclement weather may have been more winter in Dunedin than springtime in Paris, a smart show-and-give from the Kiwi playmaker set up the decisive try in the 53rd minute of a real slog of a match.

Dan Carter was instrumental in Racing’s 23-18 win over the fourth-placed Bordeaux outfit.

Carter burst inside Felix Le Bourhis’ right shoulder, a one-handed offload allowing Brice Dulin to break clear, with the fullback’s pass to Alexandre Dumoulin gifting the centre a clear run-in.