Dan Carter, in the shimmering distance, can appear vaguely eerie. The greatest rugby player in the world, with pristine good looks and rippling physique matched by his polite diplomacy, even has the modesty to blush at being certified as the sexiest man in New Zealand. And yet, in person, the myth melts away.
A supremely ordinary, if thoughtful and lucid, 27-year-old emerges, as ready to embrace his small-town roots as, in a very human contradiction, move away from them with his taste for different cultures and a surprising penchant for dressing up. Carter eventually seems spooky only in terms of the amount of damage he is likely to inflict on poor old England this afternoon.
"We still see them as a real threat," the sublime No10 counters. "When your backs are against the wall that's when you are at your most dangerous. That's when you want to prove your critics wrong and make your country proud of you again. That's exactly where England are and so there's only way for them to come out – and that's fighting."
For a man depicted as a rugby icon, Carter has an intriguing interest in adversity. "You learn a lot more from your disappointments and defeats," he suggests. "When you get setbacks it builds up a lot of motivation and gives you more drive to succeed. Before we lost in the 2007 World Cup [to France] I'd already been the IRB Player of the Year and won numerous Tri-Nations and Super 14s. So it had been pretty smooth sailing for me until that point. But it's how you bounce back from disappointment that gives a true reflection of your character."
That perspective helped Carter through another difficult patch this year – when, eight weeks into a lucrative six-month contract with the French club Perpignan, he ruptured an achilles tendon. "It felt as if someone had snipered me from the crowd," he says of that fateful match against Stade Français on 31 January. "So I knew it was serious."
As Carter was due to earn around £35,000 for every match he played, such a costly injury could have sent him whimpering back to New Zealand. Instead, he chose to remain in France and to carry out the rehabilitation with his new club. "Part of the reason in going to France was to sample a change in lifestyle and face different challenges. I've lived in New Zealand all my life, so I wanted to make the most of a rare opportunity."
Carter's arrival in Perpignan had sparked a town hall reception and a laudatory address from the mayor hailing him as a saviour to end the team's suffering. "I was very lucky I couldn't understand any French then," he laughs.
Yet, in the end, there was salvation for Perpignan. "We won the title for the first time in 54 years. I helped some of the guys with their kicking and gave the coach my views – even if I'm not sure he listened to me much. I played only five games but I still felt part of it because the atmosphere was fantastic."
The contrast between Catalan-infused Perpignan and the South Island village where Carter grew up in New Zealand is obvious. "Southbridge is tiny – with a population of 800. When I was a kid we all looked up to Albert Anderson. He was such a strong figure in the community because he'd played a few games for the All Blacks around 1987. Albert helped us feel part of the All Black environment."
On the morning of his eighth birthday Carter's parents, Neville and Bev, a builder and a schoolteacher, took him down to the plot of land adjoining their garden. "My Dad had put some grass on the back paddock and I couldn't believe it when I saw they'd also bought me a set of full-size rugby goalposts. They were in place that morning and so it was the best birthday present ever. Mum used to have to drag me in for dinner because I loved kicking goals until it was dark."
It seems fitting that, on his return from five months of injury this year, Carter played his comeback game in Southbridge for the local club. How did the amateur opposition feel when they heard they were facing Carter? "They were really excited. There were TV cameras at the ground and a couple of thousand turned up to watch."
Carter laughs again when asked how his homecoming unfolded. "I missed my first four kicks. But I managed to score a try in the last minute and we had a good win. So it was great."
Since then, in the more familiar surrounds of Test rugby, Carter has a startling record of kicking 31 of his last 32 penalties. "I missed my first one back, against Australia," he says, grimacing, "and it was the easiest of the lot. But, since then, I've been very happy with the way I've been striking the ball. I've been working hard and I'm getting the rewards."
Carter sounds positively Wilkinson-esque in that earnest statement of intent – but he soon reveals a very different personality to England's talisman. As we reflect on Jonny Wilkinson's tortuous quest for perfection, and his exploration of disciplines as diverse as Buddhism and quantum physics in his spare time, Carter offers a lighter outlook. "I'm pretty relaxed and I try to enjoy life as much as possible."
When I mention hearing that he has a wide selection of fancy-dress costumes and wigs, Carter grins. "Yeah, I do."
Is this secret well-known in New Zealand? "I'm not sure," he says, blushing. "A couple of people might know. My partner in crime is [the currently injured All Blacks lock] Ali Williams."
Does Williams pop over to Carter's house so they can slip into something suitably funky? "It's not just the two of us," Carter protests at this hint of cosy metrosexuality. "It's a whole bunch of mates. We dress up and go out. I've always loved dressing up. I even had a little dressing-up box when I was young."
As if parodying his status in New Zealand, Carter loves wearing superhero costumes. "I've got a whole selection. Ali's usually Superman while I'm either Wolverine or Phantom. Wolverine is probably my favourite. It was my first superhero suit and so it's got a history to it."
Rather than ribbing him mercilessly it turns out that most of the All Blacks follow in Carter's fancy-dress footsteps. "They love it, actually – although some of the farm boys take a bit of persuading to dress up. It's not a regular thing, but it's one way to relax."
Following today's game against England, and all the pressure the fixture exerts, Carter will return to a fun-filled Twickenham in two weeks to face the Barbarians. "In 2004 I was on the bench against the Barbarians. So I'm hoping I'll play this time. They're putting out a pretty awesome team and it'll be a match that will provide the intensity of a Test – and a little more fun."
Before then, and sticking to his mission today, Carter will pull on his magical black cape against England – the last team who need to face a superhero. "I feel really fresh," Carter enthuses, ominously for the men in white. "It's going to be an amazing atmosphere and I'm ready for it. It should be fun."
