It was a long time coming but after being one of only three current All Blacks to last hold the Bledisloe Cup, Carlos finally got to hold the coverted trophy alfot once again after a hard fought victory at Eden Park.
His goal kicking again proved to be a tad inconsistant however once again it was Spencers brilliant tactical play that resulted in the best try of the evening when a visionary chip kick from King Carlos put Dougie Howlett in for a try.
Dawnikins was particularly pleased to see one of the biggest banners in the Terrace Stand with the words "King Carlos", demonstrating once again the massive support base Spencer has behind him as he now readies himself to win back the World Cup.
If Carlos can unleash the pace of the AB backline in wet windy conditions, Dawnikins cant wait to see what he can do in the dry in Australia in November!
King Carlos answered his knockers in the most emphatic fashion during the AB's win over the Springboks in Dunedin on Saturday night. His kicking and control of the backline under the heaviest pressure the AB's have been under so far in the tri-nations was masterful.
The NZ and overseas media again have paid tribute to the performance of the premier first-five (or fly half depending on where you live) of world rugby:
"The All Blacks, with Spencer in control as usual, varied their options better, but found the Boks' defence much harder to break down this time. As a result, they were forced into kicking more often than they normally would have. The big difference is that the kicking of Carlos and co. was far more purposeful, effective and not as erratic as some of the South African punts were."
"First-five Carlos Spencer didn't miss a single kick at goal all night in the windy conditions and it has to be said that as Louis Koen missed three attempts, the former Horowhenua-Kapiti star proved to be the deciding factor in the test. "It was a superb performance," Deans said of Spencer. "If you're as disciplined and professional as Carlos is, sooner or later you're going to get the benefit of that and tonight it started."
Bok debutante Geo Cronje caught Spencer late and high midway through the first half, but the first five then dished out some Horowhenua justice; a few short sharp rights to the bearded Bok.
Planet Rugby's Man of the match (www.planetrugby.com): When games get this close the difference is usually one moment of brilliance from one player. All Black first five-eighth Carlos Spencer is not known for his kicking, but on the day he produced a 100 percent goal-kicking performance - the difference on the board in the end - and his overall kicking out of hand was also far more effective.
These are the words of a number of recently defeated Aussies following the 50-21 record demolition by the All Blaacks on Saturday night. The feeling in the team was best sumarised by Kefu as reported in the Sydney press:
Kefu, too, was as bewildered. Yes, it was the best he had faced in 58 Tests, primarily because of the effectiveness of the Auckland Blues' back three of fullback Mils Muliaina and wingers Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko. "There is no structure to how their back three play," he said. "The three of them are probably the quickest players in international rugby. "You get a feeling it is a bit of ad-lib in there, with [five-eighth] Carlos Spencer thrown in.
"Their backline is very, very good. If you've got that much speed, you really don't need that much skill, because you can still make any team look stupid. But the thing is - they've got skill and speed. And if they're in trouble, Spencer just drops in behind the forward pack, and kicks the ball 60 metres."
Did it surprise him how quick they were? "It did," he answered. "We were always aware of them, and knew how good they all are, because of what they did for Auckland. But saying you're going to defend against them well, and doing it, are two different things."
Carlos was subbed shortly after half time with a slight groin strain, however this is not considered serious. He can be well satisfied with a better night with the boot while still creating a lot of opportunities with his teritorial kicking and sleight of hand passing.
One of the most pleasing aspects is how well he has managed to link up with Arron Mauger creating havoc and mayhem with the oppositions back line.
Dawnikins for one can wait for the home games so she can see King Carlos in the flesh!
"His goalkicking aside, Spencer was outstanding in every other facet of the match, continually putting his side on the offensive with deft chips, beautifully judged up-and-unders and savvy breaks of his own." No, not a quote from Dawnikins, but from a leading S.A. newspaper after the 52-16 thrashing of the Springboks last night.
It was Spencer who touched down first with a great dummy to completely fool the opposition, followed in quick succession by wingers Doug Howlett and Joe Rokococo. One of Howletts tries being the result of yet another piece of Carlos magic when he cleaverly shovelled the ball on to end up in Douggies hands for another try in the corner.
Not a good goal kicking display on this occassion, however this was more than made up for by Spencers control of the backline that totally dominated the oppositions backline and resulted in the 7 try to 1 thrashing.
The fact that 6 out of the 7 tries came from the AB's backline speaks volumes about the ability of Carlos to dictate the pace of the game and unleash the potency of the backs like no-one other."
Amazing what a difference a week makes isn't it? With a better combination between Devine and Spencer, the Blues Brothers with the aid of Umaga and Carter made a mess of the Welsh backline.
Trademark banana kicks and explosive line breaks from Carlos had the opposition not knowing where the next attack would be coming from resulting in a try scoring fest by the AB's - including one to King Carlos himself.
Once Carlos had crossed the line after correctly assessing that Collins on his outside was already well marked, the flood gates opened and the tries came flowing from there.
Although the Welsh were valiant in their defence, they had no answer for the power play by the forwards (with fellow Blues front-rower Kees Meeus being the outstanding forward of the evening) and the speedsters in the backs. Dawnikins wonders if all those deranged individuals calling for the return of Mehrts will be singing the same tune today?
The combinations will need more work if the Marshall, Spencer, Umaga trio are to show the world who really rules world rugby backline play.
An off night with the boot didn't help too much in the 15-12 loss to the England team on Saturday night. What also didn't help were the lack of support players for Carlos when he did make a few of his trademark backline busting moves. Where he normally would have expected to see two or three Blues team-mates alongside, he was generally on his own.
The gameplan from Mitchell was to keep the ball in hand. On second thought, maybe they should have done away with any gameplan and allowed the natural flair of the AB backline to do its stuff.
Carlos fans of the world dont despair. Remember that was a first hit out by a lot of new AB combinations and if it demonstrated anything, it was that when Carlos turned it on he still managed to bust their back line and set up the only try of the game.
I only feel sorry for the Welsh, as they are now to feel the Spencer backlash.
In a move totally unsuprising to any King Carlos fan, John Michell has today announced that Spencer has been included in the 26-man All Black squad to face England, France and Wales later this year.
After his dominant performance throughout the 2003 Super 12 season, there was little doubt that Carlos would retain his rightful spot as master tactician of the All Black back line. The main point of discussion will be which half-back Mitchell will pair him up with i.e. will he keep the sound pairing of him and Devine, or will he introduce Meg Ryan (aka Marshall) to the mix?
Readers are welcome to vote on the Dawnikins Carlos Fan Page with their thoughts on the matter.
The full squad named today is: Backs: Leon MacDonald (Canterbury), Doug Howlett (Auckland), Mils Muliaina (Auckland), Joe Rokocoko (Auckland), Caleb Ralph (Canterbury), Ma'a Nonu (Wellington), Tana Umaga (Wellington), Aaron Mauger (Canterbury), Daniel Carter (Canterbury), Carlos Spencer (Auckland), Justin Marshall (Canterbury), Steve Devine (Auckland).
Forwards: Rodney So'oialo (Wellington), Jerry Collins (Wellington), Richard McCaw (Canterbury), Marty Holah (Waikato), Reuben Thorne (Canterbury), Brad Thorn (Canterbury), Ali Williams (Auckland), Chris Jack (Canterbury), Greg Sommerville (Canterbury), Kees Meeuws (Auckland), Carl Hoeft (Otago), Dave Hewett (Canterbury), Anton Oliver (Otago), Keven Mealamu (Auckland).
A young man by the name of Carlos Spencer wore the No.10 jumper for the Auckland Blues back in 1996 and 1997 - and the self-same smiling first five-eighth was there to pull the strings at Eden Park some six years later.
He directed the Blues superbly and whenever his team came under pressure in the first half he allowed them breathing space with long touch-finders. Spencer, the competition's most influential player this year, said the younger players in his team deserved most credit for their magnificent season in which they lost just one game .
"We've got a young bunch of guys who did brilliantly this year, they deserve this win tonight," he said. "Before the game they were pretty excited and it showed in their performance.
Spencer said his team's composure was vital. "We weren't overly worried when Hammer (Hammett) gave them a lead. We knew if we maintained our composure we'd get through, and we did. "We knew it would be a low-scoring game. We held them off our line for a long time when they became desperate in the end. We let them in once but by then we knew we had them." Spencer said beating the Crusaders gave his players real satisfaction given the rivalry between the two sides and the way the Crusaders had set the standards over the previous four seasons.
The highest praise for Spencer has come from the international rugby web site www.planetrugby.com. Their verdict - Man of the match: There are numerous contenders here, both hookers were superb, the props stood their ground and the battle for the loose ball - between Braid and McCaw - was a joy to behold. In the end, and we thought it fitting, our vote goes to Carlos Spencer. Forget the gaffe that led to Hammett's second try, his kicking game - out of hand and at goal - was top-notch, he was committed on defence, and he kept the Crusaders defence guessing with clever options on attack. It was not the Carlos Spencer show - as we saw last week - but it was good enough for us.
Moment of the match: In the dying moments of the match - from the re-start after Ralph's try - Spencer grubbered the ball into touch in the Crusaders 22. The visitors won the ball, as well as a penalty, with scrum-half Marshall taking a quick tap before passing to Hammett. The Crusaders hooker ran straight into Rush, who drove him backwards, turning the ball over and winning the scrum for his side. Spencer initially shaped for a drop-goal, but instead merely ran the ball into touch after the hooter had sounded as Gibson fed the scrum.
The Blues won 21 - 17 in what will go down as one of the classic Super 12 match ups of all time.
Yet another fine display of superb running and ball handling skills by King Carlos in front of a packed Eden Park saw the Brumbies return to Canberra with their tail between their legs.
To the oppositions credit, they never gave up until after the final whistle, but with the scoreline at 42-21 it was a futile attempt to salvage some pride.
Trademark bursting runs saw Carlos set up two of the Blues tries and his usual mastery of the fast distribution and terrirtorial kicking game ensured the Brumbies were on the back foot from start to finish.
This week - the Super 12 final against the Crusaders. Dawnikins says "bring it on" as Carlos is saving his best 'till last!
Dawnikins would also like to acknowldge the legion of Carlos fans out there and thank them for their support of Carlos, including a Mr Navakas of Canberra who is the lastest convert to the Carlos Spencer fan club.
There are simply not enough words to describe the brilliance of the Blues' dazzling first five-eighth Carlos Spencer as he led his team to a 29-17 victory over the Hurricanes in their final round robin Super 12 match at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday.
Spencer's performance on Friday is something that had to be seen to be believed. Those deft touches, stepping, kicking and all-round judgement looked like he was out of this world.
In front of a crowd of 45,000, which included New Zealand's new 34-million-dollar man, Sports Minister Trevor Mallard, Spencer turned on one of his more memorable performances in the No 10 jersey, baffling and confusing the Canes with his full repertoire of tricks.
It was very much the Carlos Spencer show at Eden Park on Friday night as the Blues took five points in beating the Hurricanes 29-17 in the final roundrobin match. Spencer collected a personal haul of 14 points as the Blues won an open an exciting encounter between the two best exponents of running rugby in this season's Super 12.
There was the "no look" back-flip pass that led to Sam Tuitupou's opening try, an audacious centre kick off the outside of his right boot for Doug Howlett's first, and a signature grubber, collect and burst that set up Howlett for his second.
And just when the packed house had settled back in their seats for the start of the second half, Spencer brought the roof down once more, this time with a sweeping 50-metre angled run, a dummy and marvellous solo try at the Terrace End.
Who can stop this man? No one in world rugby today. Next stop - World Cup domination!
It was a scrappy 33-9 win to the Blues over the Cats in Auckland last night, but it didn't stop King Carlos from entertaining the crowd with some of his trademark runs to split the Cats defence.
A superb jinking dash carved up the Cats defensive screen to brilliantly set up Mils Mulianina for a try was one of the highlights of the game.
On present form, there is no other first five in the country who is a patch on Carlos - a fact that is highlighted on Sky TVs "Reunion" show that has had him in their form-15 team since the start of the Super 12 season.
Carlos, you'd better pull that All Black jersey out of the wardrobe now. Dawnikins can't wait to see you in action again!
Planet Rugby has again chosen Carlos as their Man of the Match following the Blues thrashing of the Bulls in South Africa last night.
Once again he has been described as "The Master" of the 1st 5/8's while showing his opposite how a game is played with skill, finesse and superb tactical kicking.
Every touch of the ball kept his opponents guessing until it was too late, by which time either Howlett, Gear or any other number of Blues players had crossed the line to notch up another 50+ point winning score for the Blues
Looks like that number 11 spot in the All Blacks is a no-brainer for Michell!
The NZ Herald summed it up best when they said "For the opening 30 minutes the Reds looked like possums in the headlights, dazzled by the pace of the Blues, the unity of their pack and the array of skills from Spencer. He opened with his regular plays before uncorking a new selection of attacking kicks to overtake his outlawed thigh kick from previous seasons." He used a banana kick in the seventh minute which wrong-footed the sliding defence as fullback Mils Muliaina charged through for the catch and try. Later he used a hooked chip kick infield which turned the defenders to stone again, and only needed a catch from Sam Tuitupou to have been a try.
The Sunday Star Times agreed that just when it seemed we'd seen everything from the Blues playmaker, Spencer pulled something new out of his bag of tricks to mastermind the 62-20 demolition of the Queensland Reds in Whangarei. They needed Spencer for three-quarters of the match only, because by then the damage was done . . . and he was at the heart of it all.
During his 60 minutes of action, Spencer touched the ball 44 times in broken play. He passed the ball 22 times and two of those passes led directly to tries. He ran 10 times, his darting efforts also leading to two tries, including one for himself.
Then there were those kicks; 12 times he put the ball in the air, with one try resulting. King Carlos is obviously the man to bring the World Cup back to New Zealand.
Named "Man of the match" by Planet Rugby, they went on to sing his praises by saying "It is always unfair to give an award to just one person when a team plays as well as the Blues do, but our award - yet again - goes to fly-half Carlos Spencer. He once again displayed his full, brilliant, range of skills - great running, delicate kicks, accurate passing and sound all-round judgement." And then "Moment of the match:" All 80 of them were great and worthy of an award, but Spencer's try in the 60th minute had the hallmark of classic rugby. When you do the basics well and do things at speed, even seemingly straightforward moves become brilliant.
The mystery benefactor who paid big money to help Auckland and the Blues keep Carlos Spencer out of the clutches of rich European clubs. Ballu Khan is the rugby-loving Fiji millionaire businessman who is described as "a supporter of Auckland rugby," and has been revealed as the man Spencer fans of the world need to thank for keeping this amazing talent in New Zealand.
Ballu, Dawnikins salutes you as the saviour of Auckland and New Zealand rugby (and a few of the female contributors to the guest book of this web site would no doubt thank you too!)
King Carlos Spencer reigned supreme last night as the Blues thrashed the Super 12 champion Crusaders 39-5 at Albany's North Harbour Stadium.
On attack the home side looked extremely dangerous with Carlos Spencer weaving his magic and scary amounts of speed thrilling the 25,000 strong crowd. The Blues got away to a flyer with freakishly fast Rupeni Caucaunibuca scoring his fifth try of the 2003 season in the left corner after three minutes.
It was a slick finish to a break started by Carlos Spencer down the blindside who found Doug Howlett and then onto Caucaunibuca. Spencer slotted a good sideline conversion and added a penalty after 23 minutes from halfway to give the Blues a 10-nil lead.
Spencer was controlling the game wonderfully for the Blues and his kicking was on form as he stretched the lead out again with a penalty before halftime giving the home side a 13-5 halftime lead.
Blues lock Ali Williams was sinbinned for persistent offside infringing with 10 minutes remaining but it was the Blues who scored a bonus point try as Carlos Spencer intercepted a blind Daniel Carter pass to run 60 metres unopposed.
Blues 39 - Tries: R Caucaunibuca, J Rokocoko, S Tuitupou, C Spencer, D Howlett. Pen: C Spencer (2). Cons: C Spencer (3), M Muliaina. Crusaders 5 - Try: S Robertson.
Before last nights beating of the Chiefs by a 14-man Blues side, Waikato coach told the NZ Herald "He (Carlos Spencer) really punished us with his running and had a big influence on a certain NPC final here ... He's a special player."
That statement proved to be rather prophetic last night (28 Feb 2003) as Carlos again managed to show a great maturity in commanding the Blues backline while continuing to make his punishing breaks that eventually resulted in two of the Blues four tries.
Speedster Rupeni Caucaunibuca again showed his speed and made the most of opportunities presented by the most exciting backline in Super 12 rugby under the command of Spencer.
Although Carlos' injured knee seemed to be giving him some trouble towards the end of the match, this did not seem to hamper the brilliant backline general with him seeing the Blues home to another bonus point victory.
Blues 30 (R Caucaunibuca 2, X Rush, S Devine tries; C Spencer 2 pen, 2 con
Chiefs 27 (S Bates, K Lowen, D Hill, tries; G Jackson 2 con, 2 pen, D Hill, con). Halftime 20-14.
Apologies to the overseas fans of Carlos Spencer but your loss is New Zealands gain.
Auckland have pulled off a coup with the long-term signing of Carlos Spencer, meaning the Blues and All Blacks back is set to buck the trend and see out the rest of his career in this country. The 27-year-old - an icon of the Auckland game and with Lee Stensness a survivor from the Blues glory years - has re-signed until the end of 2006, with a "mystery benefactor" involved in the deal.
It means Spencer will not be part of any post-World Cup exodus, while Auckland have retained one of the game's great crowd pleasers still able to rip open increasingly organised defences. He is also regarded as a fine contributor at Ponsonby. Spencer, who has battled major knee and shoulder injuries over the past four seasons, said yesterday he was "over the moon" and that it could be his final playing deal.
"What really made my mind up was the end of year [Northern Hemisphere] tour with the All Blacks. "I thought, did I really want to play in the rain and cold for a bit more money? You don't get a better place to play than here." Auckland and Blues chief executive David White said an overseas company played a major role in Spencer's provincial contract and would offer him considerable opportunities after his playing days. "Our NPC and Super 12 coaching staff describe Carlos as outstanding and believe we still haven't seen the best of him.
"He has matured as a person and player, and really supports the young players. "My understanding was that he was off, that he had some serious offers from the Northern Hemisphere, so we have driven the negotiations."
Spencer, who has a year left on his contract, made his Auckland debut in 1994. He played on the All Blacks tour to Italy and France in 1995, and made his test debut against Argentina at Wellington in 1997. His lawyer, David Jones, a leading player representative, said Spencer had a stream of offers which topped those for All Blacks, even though he was absent from the test side for two years until a recall for November's short tour.
"They have a huge regard for him in England and France. You wouldn't believe the offers," said Jones, Spencer's adviser since he came to Auckland from Horowhenua as a teenager. "They were willing to pay money before he was even able to join them. They see him as our best ball player. They think it's unbelievable he's not in the New Zealand side. "Auckland and David White deserve a lot of credit. They were very proactive." Spencer should return from a shoulder injury when the Blues play the Reds in a Super 12 warm-up match at the Gold Coast on Tuesday.
Blues coach Peter Slone has touted Carlos Spencer as being a contender to captain the Super 12 Blues team in 2003. Sloane said Spencer's leadership star had risen, and he had also been extremely impressed by his professional dedication to dealing with a shoulder injury suffered on last year's All Black tour.
Carlos opted for rehabilitation rather than an operation, which should give him more Super 12 time to impress All Blacks coach John Mitchell and his selectors as they build their World Cup squad. An operation would have limited his Super 12 to a couple of rounds.
Carlos fans are in obvious agreement that he has impressed enough already but are in agreement that the more chances to see him in action during the 2003 Super 12 the better!
The best first-five eighth in world rugby is heading home after being ruled out of Sunday's final tour match against Wales because of a shoulder injury.
Spencer hasn't recovered enough to resume training, although an MRI scan in France has cleared him of any serious damage. He received the injury in the All Black's narrow loss to England at Twickenham 10 days ago, playing in the first half only.
Obviously his biggest fan, Dawnikins, and other Carlos fans of the world are hoping to see him fully recovered in time for the Super 12 and ready to resume his All Black duties for the Rugby World Cup in 2003.
Interview with WYNNE GRAY in the NZ Herald 13 November 2002
An icebag on his right shoulder joint, Carlos Spencer lies in his Chantilly hotel bed, contemplating what might have been. In the warm French sunshine outside, his team-mates are undergoing a variety of sporting exercises as they prepare for Sunday's test against France while Spencer is incapacitated after wrenching his shoulder against England.
Another tour to Europe with the All Blacks for the five-eighths is over. Only a miracle recovery will have him considered for the final match against Wales, but that seems unlikely with a pinpoint diagnosis of his problem not yet available.
The 27-year-old remembers going into a tackle about 10 minutes before halftime, his arm got caught at an awkward angle, and he hyper-extended his shoulder. "The same sort of thing has happened to me before and I thought if I stayed out there I could shake it off," he said. "I asked if I could come off and get it strapped, but then I wouldn't have been able to return, so I stuck it out to halftime.
"But after a couple of minutes testing it in the shed, it was clear I was no good." Andrew Mehrtens got the call to take over. For a while Spencer sat in the dressing room unwilling to believe injury had snapped his tour so abruptly. After a while he swapped his boots for trackshoes and glumly moved to sit on the sidelines. His arm and shoulder were still tender yesterday, they felt taut and tight, the pain had not eased much.
"It is very frustrating. It had been great to get the call-up for the test, things had been going well, we were starting to get into our stride, and then this happened." Spencer had played a few Barbarians games at Twickenham, but the last time he was in England with the All Blacks was at the 1999 World Cup when he wrecked his right knee in a training ground accident and went home before the tournament began.
"Yeah, that was a shocker," he recalled. "This time I did think 'not again,' but hopefully the shoulder will come right."
Before Spencer retired, the All Blacks, with far less possession than England, had made far greater inroads than their opponents. They had spent much more time in England's half and developed two tries. The first came to Jonah Lomu from a planned backline move after captain Taine Randell spurned a shot at goal and asked Spencer to kick for the lineout.
Spencer had been looking to getting even more involved in the second half, believing his backline could test England even more out wide as they tired. His injury put paid to his ideas, though Mehrtens and his makeshift backline nearly delivered.
"We definitely wanted to use the ball more, but we had to balance that with field position, too," Spencer said. "The weather was great, the pitch perfect, but then ... " He feels stymied after his injury, but also encouraged after being picked to start the truncated three-test tour. It is those thoughts he has to build on.
Spencer has been named ahead of Mehrts in the All Black team to face England at Twickenham this weekend. Given that Carlos consistently outplayed his opposite number in their last clash against Canterbury, this should come as a suprise to no-one.
Carlos teams up with his partner-in-crime, Steve Devine (I'm a poet and dont even know it), to take on an experienced and full strength English team. The combination of Carlos & Steve was a winning one during the NPC and the distinct difference in style between this pairing and the Marshall/Mehrtens combination may well provide for a few problems for the home team.
Here's hoping the forwards will be able to provide enough "go forward" against their much weightier and more experience opponents to lay a platform for Carlos to cut loose and show the world his talents!
Justice has been served, senses have been regained and world order has again been restored as Carlos Spencer once again receives his All Black jersey.