How did Beauden Barrett fare in his first outing for the Blues?

How did Beauden Barrett fare in his first outing for the Blues?

Beauden Barrett trotted out to rapturous applause, from 43 000 rugby-starved fans, onto the field which he will call his new home for the foreseeable future, somewhat surprisingly with the number 15 on his back.

It was the first time the incumbent All Black fly-half had seen action since New Zealand’s disappointing World Cup campaign in November 2019, and interest was at a peak with regard to how he would perform in a new jersey, at a new ground, against his old comrades with whom he has spent the vast majority of his professional career to date.

His first touch on the ball came just after two minutes after he fielded a high kick and fed the ball off infield in a hurry, under pressure from the aggressively advancing Hurricanes chasers.

His name was mentioned by the commentators with some degree of regularity throughout the first quarter as he looked to become involved where he could, relying on his flawless positional play to protect the back. It seemed clear that Leon MacDonald and Tana Umaga saw the game as an opportunity to ease Barrett back into the swing of things after his extended lay-off, leaving even the clearance and goal kicking duties to halfbacks Sam Nock and Otere Black, thus allowing Barrett the freedom to find his feet and recognise the feel of contact again without any added responsibility on his shoulders.


The 15th minute saw a colourful welcome-back when Dane Coles, as he is known to do, charged with surprising pace down the tram line for the corner. Barrett’s attempted tackle was not enough to divert the Hurricanes hooker who dotted down with Barrett being swallowed up in the celebrations of the men in yellow shortly thereafter, no doubt copping more than his fair share of flak in the process. 

 

However, Barrett bounced back from his defensive lapse as an instrumental figure in the Blues’ second score; feeding the hotstepping Mark Telea who in turn gave the ball off to TJ Faiane who dived over.

He began the second half with aplomb, slotting seamlessly into the first receiver channel when Otere Black was busy lending support at ruck-time, and even taking a crash ball into the yellow defensive line- showing no trepidation in the face of physicality.

As the half progressed, Barrett was recurring presence in the fly-half or inside centre channels, visibly growing in confidence (including a long-range drop goal attempt) as the powerful Blues pack slowly strangled their opponents, setting a useful platform on which their backs could shine.

Beauden Barrett at full-back for Blues, Dan Carter misses out as ...

All in all, it was a useful return for Barrett, exhibiting many of the skills that have made him one of the greats of the modern era.

Competition for the Blues number 10 jersey is stiff, with Barrett, Otere Black and the legebdary Dan Carter all vying for the position. Otere Black, it must be said, was nothing short of impressive in round one- a skilful player with a natural ability to put his players in space.

The rugby world will keep a keen eye on the progression of the Aotearoa tournament, with particular attention to how Barrett evolves within it.     



In this Article

Latest News