New Zealand great Dan Carter believes the heartbreak in 2019 will inspire the All Blacks to victory at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Even though the All Blacks lost to South Africa 35-7 in a humiliating record-setting loss last month, the former fly-half and World Cup winner in 2011 and 2015 thinks his country will win a fourth global title.

“I’m confident they can bounce back and go all the way but it’s going to be the closest Rugby World Cup of all time with the likes of Ireland, South Africa and France all playing fantastic rugby,” Carter told AFP on Thursday.

“There are probably 12 teams in this competition that can easily beat those four teams as well,” he added.

Carter is looking forward to the first game on Friday, when his country plays the hosts, France.

“There’s something about the French and the All Blacks and the history when it comes to the Rugby World Cups,” said Carter, who played against France in four consecutive tournaments from 2003 to 2015.

“It goes right back to the inaugural World Cup in 1987 when they played each other in the final, and we know what happened in 1999 as well when a heroic performance by the French knocked the All Blacks out in the semi-finals.”

Carter’s heart broke when France beat New Zealand in the quarterfinals of the 2007 tournament. However, he got his own back in the next two tournaments when New Zealand won the title.

Carter has won three Super Rugby titles with his home team, the Crusaders. He has also played in France twice, where he won the Top 14 with Perpignan in 2009 and again with Racing 92 in 2016.

The 41-year-old wants to see the epic rivalry between France and New Zealand make more history.

“I would love the All Blacks and the French to play each other in the opening game and then go their separate ways and meet again in the final,” he said.

“I can’t go past the All Blacks (to win). I think they’ve got a lot of hurt from 2019, they will really add this as motivation,” he added as he reflected on their third-place finish in Japan four years ago.

But Carter said that if anyone could beat his countrymen, it would be the hosts, who are the current under-20 world champions and have the European club champions in La Rochelle.

“There’s something really special about rugby in France at the moment, everything seems to be aligned,” said Carter who was speaking at a publicity event for Mastercard at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Photo by Ryan Wilkisky/Backpagepix