Rugby-Carter and McCaw bow out of Super Rugby as winners

WELLINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - There will be no final Super Rugby playoffs campaign for two of the finest players to have graced the competition but Dan Carter and Richie McCaw were at least able to sign off as winners in the last weekend of the regular season. The Canterbury Crusaders, already ruled out of post-season play for the first time in 14 years, roused themselves on Saturday for a 37-24 win over the playoff-bound ACT Brumbies to hand McCaw his 100th Super Rugby victory. That saw the flanker join Carter and two other Crusaders, Corey Flynn and Wyatt Crockett, with a century of wins and made the All Blacks skipper the only player to have achieved the feat in test and provincial rugby. Silky smooth flyhalf Carter kicked 17 points in his 141st and final match for the seven-times champions before he heads off to France, taking his career points tally to an almost unassailable record of 1,708. Openside McCaw, who has yet to confirm his retirement after the World Cup later this year in England, signed off with 11 tackles in his 145th Crusaders match and with typical modesty spent most of his post-match interview talking about Carter. "If it does end up being the last one, it was great to play alongside a man like that," he said pitchside. "It's certainly made my life easier with a guy like him at 10 in a lot of the matches where I've put on the jersey. "To finish off tonight with a performance like that against the old rivals the Brumbies brings a great smile, some great memories. "More than likely this will be the last one for me as well, I'll decide that down the track but I just wanted to play tonight with a smile." Peerless in their positions for large parts of their careers, the pair are the only multiple winners of the World Rugby Player of the Year, McCaw taking the honour three times (2006, 2009 and 2010) and Carter twice (2005 and 2012). McCaw, 34, made his debut for the Crusaders in 2001 -- the last year they failed to reach the playoffs. Carter came on board two years later and the pair helped the Crusaders dominate Super Rugby, reaching the final six times in seven years and winning titles in 2005, 2006 and 2008. "It was good to finish off with a win today, it was a big motivation factor this week," Carter, 33, added. "Inconsistent, frustrating year but to finish on a high here in Canberra is pretty satisfying. "It's been unreal having Richie there my entire career, he leads from the front, he leads with his actions. "He's pretty inspirational when you see him putting his head in those dark places. "I'm just thankful that I was playing alongside him, not against him." (Editing by Peter Rutherford)