AUCKLAND, 28 APRIL 2021 (STUFF NZ) – The race for the All Blacks No 10 and No 15 jerseys has become more intense – but perhaps a lot simpler.
Beauden Barrett, the two-time World Rugby player of the year who has been the All Blacks No 15 for the past two years, told Stuff he wants to be seen as a “specialist No 10” and is driven by the thought of returning to New Zealand and improving in his preferred jersey.
“Absolutely,” Barrett said from Japan, where he is relishing time in the Suntory No 10 jersey in the fast-improving Top League competition.
“I’ve always wanted to be team first [but] I guess this 10-15 thing has been a system selection.
“I’ve got no doubt I wasn’t the best out and out No 15 for the All Blacks, especially with Jordie [Barrett] and Damo [Damian McKenzie] around last year.
“But the way we wanted to play I could understand that and I bought into that.
“But going forward there’s no hiding from the fact that Damian and Jordie and Will [Jordan] are all playing great rugby.
“But regardless of that I’m really enjoying my time playing No 10 here at Suntory.
“It’s given me that burning desire to be better than what I have been before in the All Blacks No 10 jersey.”
Barrett’s comments, and his brother Jordie’s own desire to play in his preferred fullback position, set up an intriguing choice at No 10 for the All Blacks.
Crusaders pivot Richie Mo’unga has won the No 10 jersey for most of the past two years, and has guided the Crusaders into yet another Super Rugby final against the Chiefs in two weeks’ time.
But while the Mo’unga-Barrett ‘dual playmaker’ system has been used extensively by the All Blacks since the middle of 2019, the 29-year-old from Taranaki clearly now sees his greatest contribution coming in the No 10 jersey as he enters a critical three years that will shape his legacy.
Barrett was also confident that he had the experience and runs on the board to hit the ground running when the All Blacks test season starts, disputing claims that a season in Japan should rule him out of a starting jersey if planned tests against Italy and Fiji go ahead in July.
“I’d fully back myself,” Barrett said. “Obviously we have a two-week quarantine period when we have to maintain fitness levels and then two or three weeks before our first game if we are selected in the All Blacks.
“There’s a camp thrown in there before that happens. I’m sure that if I’m selected in this squad coming up then through training in an All Black environment I can get myself up to that test match intensity.
Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett are likely to be competing for the All Blacks No 10 jersey this year.
“We’ve been playing a lot of rugby up here. Fitness won’t be an issue.”
Intriguingly, Barrett has also been receiving some feedback from Eddie Jones, the Australian coach of bitter rivals England who has an advisory role at Suntory.
In fact, Jones is currently in Japan and sees Barrett on a regular basis, when they exchange their thoughts on rugby and Jones passes on some feedback.
“He’s in all day, so if you walk past him there’s always a conversation, a rugby conversation, whether it’s feedback or, ‘Did you see this?’ or ‘Did you see that’?” Barrett said.
“He’s like that with all the players. He’s certainly a wealth of knowledge. He’s been around, he understands rugby and I genuinely know he’s great for Suntory.
Asked to divulge what “gems” Jones had passed on to him, Barrett said: “It’s what hopefully is going to make me a much better player so I’ll keep it to myself. But he does offer some good value.”
Barrett confirmed that he will play no part in the upcoming trans-Tasman Super Rugby competition for the Blues.
The Top League final is scheduled for May 23 and Suntory have a decent chance of making the decider. Barrett then has to quarantine for two weeks upon his return to New Zealand, which means that he won’t be ready to play a part in the six-week trans-Tasman competition.
Barrett will be on board for the Blues’ Super Rugby campaigns in 2022 and 2023, where he will almost certainly wear the No 10 jersey after Otere Black’s form tailed off in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
