Elder statesman Barrett poised to retain key role in Robertson’s All Blacks

New Zealanders assumed, for the most part of last year, that Beauden Barrett’s Test career was coming to an end.Barrett made the announcement well in advance of the World Cup that he would be playing for Toyota Verblitz in 2024 and that he had the option to stay there in 2025. Barrett’s contract with New Zealand Rugby was set to expire at the end of 2023.

Although it was unclear if he meant to imply that he no longer wanted to play in New Zealand, it was assumed that, at nearly 33, he would accept the better salary and easier living that Japan had to offer in exchange for a longer-term commitment.

With Aaron Smith, Brodie Retallick, and Dane Coles, nearly all of his peers, doing the same, there wasn’t much more for him to accomplish in New Zealand after playing in three World Cups (he made it to the semifinals twice and won once).

Barrett’s chances of staying on the All Blacks into 2023 were also questioned, as new coach Scott Robertson arrived with the goal of revamping the team’s culture, style, and player pool.

Therefore, it was widely believed that Barrett’s touchdown off Mark Tele’a’s bounce pass in the World Cup final, which pulled the All Blacks within a point of the Springboks, would be his final significant performance in the Test arena.

Everyone anticipated hearing confirmation in the days following the championship match that Barrett had chosen to accept Toyota’s offer to play in 2025, so ending his international rugby career.

Rather, in a manner that only Barrett could, he surprised everyone by revealing that he had agreed to a four-year contract extension that would allow him to stay in New Zealand until 2027.

His time in Japan will only last for one campaign; he will return to New Zealand in May and be qualified to play for the All Blacks in July against Fiji and England.

It’s clear that Barrett intended for that game to be just the beginning of an incredible career. It is also likely that he received some assurance, or confidence, that if he remained in New Zealand, he would come up for consideration by Robertson.

It is unclear if his decision to remain in New Zealand permanently was a change of heart, but it is safe to assume that two factors had a major role in influencing his choice.

The first is the manner in which New Zealand lost the World Cup by one excruciating point. It’s difficult to overstate how much it wounded Barrett and the other senior players, especially in light of the game’s confusing and contradictory nature, in which the All Blacks lost with captain Sam Cane sent out but still had chances to win.

It’s clear that Barrett intended for that game to be just the beginning of an incredible career. It is also likely that he received some assurance, or confidence, that if he remained in New Zealand, he would come up for consideration by Robertson.

Following the news that Barrett would be remaining, Robertson remarked, “Beauden brings an enormous amount of class to the table.” “There is a reason he is the second-most-capped All Black in history, and his knowledge and experience in our game is a testament to his loyalty.”

The feeling that Barrett would mostly play the role of an ageing veteran on the team if he continued to play for the All Blacks in 2024 was reinforced by Robertson’s emphasis on experience.

From the middle of 2022 until the World Cup final, Barrett was the All Blacks’ chosen full-back. However, Will Jordan, the youthful Crusader who was selected on the right flank to make room for Barrett, was clearly frustrated at that time.

Jordan is regarded as one of the most lethal runners in the history of sports, and from full-back, he was a vital offensive weapon for the Crusaders throughout their title victories from 2018 to 2023.

Although Ian Foster believed Jordan was more suited for the wing when he played for the All Blacks, Robertson used Jordan at full-back for the Crusaders.

Barrett will likely be the starting full-back for the side coming forward, at least for the Tests and Rugby Championship in July. Robertson has no other convincing alternative to choose from.

Jordan seemed to be a little frustrated that he was being picked on the wing, even though he expressed gratitude for even being chosen.

He discussed how he perceived the distinctions between the All Blacks’ wing and full-back positions during the World Cup. “You are more engaged in the kicking game and counterattack as a full-back. The full-back is probably more involved in the organisation and direction of moving the team around, whereas the wing can just pop up where he finds space. In terms of simply moving around the field and attacking shape, the wing has more freedom to go where you need to go.

Jordan seemed to be implying that, although content enough to play on the wing, he wasn’t interested in staying there permanently and that he was prepared to take command of the backfield and plan the offense’s counterattacks and kicking strategy.

Why wouldn’t Robertson utilise Jordan at full-back for the All Blacks in 2024, as he had done so masterfully with the Crusaders? And since Richie Mo’unga’s injury to Japan left New Zealand without a No. 10, it was generally believed that Barrett’s duties would involve coaching Jordan and players like Damian Mackenzie and Stephen Perofeta, with the occasional Test match appearance at full-back or first-five.

But now that it’s known that Jordan will need shoulder surgery and miss the entirety of Super Rugby, Barrett’s 2024 appears very different. He’s developing into a key player in the first year of Robertson’s leadership, which will see the All Blacks play 14 Tests, far from being a mentor and bit player.

Barrett will likely be the starting full-back for the side coming forward, at least for the Tests and Rugby Championship in July. Robertson has no other convincing alternative to choose from.

Shaun Stevenson was awarded a cap the previous season, but despite being the Chiefs’ star offensive player, there are worries that his defence may be insufficient to provide the All Blacks with the final line of defence they require.

Ruben Love, a talented but undeveloped young man, is the other competitor. Robertson may be looking for a player like Love to gradually incorporate into the international rugby team this year.

Robertson and his coaching staff will also be aware that the All Blacks will be losing over 200 caps of experience in the absence of Aaron Smith and Mo’unga, and that the backline needs an older, more experienced player with Mark Tele’a, Caleb Clarke, and Emoni Narawa vying for wing berths despite their combined meagre total of just 30 Tests.

Barrett is likely to remain a mentor in 2024, but he will also be a strong leader and general on the field. The All Blacks require his expertise and composure under duress. They need his fearlessness beneath the high ball and his underappreciated tackling power. They also need him to be able to direct the game plan from both the backfield and the first receiver position.

Above all, Robertson’s ability to run, kick, pass, and perceive space is what the All Blacks desperately need, since he has stated that this year’s goal is to instill flexibility into the attack.

He feels his team will need to completely change the way they go about their business given the variety presented by the opposition and likely climatic conditions. The All Blacks will play England in the dead of winter in New Zealand; Fiji in the height of the US summer; South Africa on the highveld; and the heavyweight European trio of England, Ireland, and France in November.

“We can win in two or three different ways this year if we win and evolve,” he stated on Sky TV’s The Breakdown. “Achieving success over a four-year period requires doing that.”

Barrett may still play rugby for his country, but it won’t be the same touchdown he scored in the World Cup final.

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