Sam Carter (born 10 September 1989) is an Australian retired professional rugby union player who most recently played lock for Western Force in Super Rugby. He formerly played for the Brumbies from 2011 to 2019, and won 16 caps for Australia between 2014 and 2017, before spending 2019–2023 playing for Ulster in the URC he then played for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby, England's top division.
Career His father, David Carter, was also an Australian international.Gareth Hanna, "Who is Sam Carter? All you need to know about Ulster Rugby's latest signing", Belfast Telegraph, 31 January 2019 He was educated at Scots College in Sydney, and represented Sydney University."Ulster sign Australia second row Sam Carter from ACT Brumbies", BBC Sport, 31 January 2019 He moved to Canberra to join the Brumbies Academy in 2010.Chris Dutton, "Brumbies brace for twin-tower blow as Sam Carter weighs up Irish move", The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 January 2019 He made his debut for the Brumbies in 2011 against the Melbourne Rebels, and soon became a regular in the team. He was made co-captain with Christian Leali'ifano in 2017, and became only the twelfth Brumbies player to make 100 appearances in 2018. He played for the Canberra Vikings in the inaugural season of the National Rugby Championship in 2014. He joined the New South Wales Country Eagles for the 2015 season.CSU NSW Country Eagles announce 2015 NRC squad He first played for Australia in 2014, and won the last of his sixteen caps in 2017,Chris Dutton, "Is Brumbies lock Sam Carter the Wallabies' 'forgotten man'?", Canberra Times, 21 June 2019 before falling out with coach Michael Cheika.Oliver Caffrey, "Brumbies star off to Ireland, out of World Cup", Fox Sport, 31 January 2019 He signed for Ulster ahead of the 2019–20 season, but missed most of his first season there with a shoulder injury.Michael Sadlier, "Despite injury and pandemic setbacks, Australia ace Carter admits move to Ulster was worth the risk", Belfast Telegraph, 8 November 2020 He has since captained the side.Ciaran Donaghy, "Sam Carter says unbeaten Ulster still have room to improve", News Letter, 10 October 2021 On 25 May 2023 his signing was announced by Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby.
On 25 March 2024, he joined the Western Force in Australia. He retired in 2025 after the Force's match against the British and Irish Lions."Former Wallabies and current Western Force lock Sam Carter has announced his retirement from Rugby Union.", Rugby.com.au, 30 May 2025
Super Rugby statistics
Season Team Games Starts Sub Mins Tries Cons Pens Drops Points Yel Red 2011 1 0 1 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2012 15 13 2 982 2 0 0 0 10 0 0 2013 18 17 1 1196 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2014 16 16 0 1223 2 0 0 0 10 0 0 2015 13 13 0 955 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2016 16 16 0 1234 1 0 0 0 5 1 0 2017 15 15 0 1179 2 0 0 0 10 0 0 2018 12 9 3 745 1 0 0 0 5 1 0 2019 17 16 1 1250 1 0 0 0 5 0 0Total 122 114 8 8703 9 0 0 0 45 4 0
References
External links Ulster Rugby profile United Rugby Championship profile
ESPN Profile