Barrett now happy to hand over the goalkicking tee

All Blacks first five-eighth Beauden Barrett has admitted there were no strategies in place for him to relinquish the goalkicking duties during his horror night against South Africa in Wellington last month.

New Zealand were shocked 36-34 in the Rugby Championship clash, with Barrett kicking just two from six in the game.

Since then, the 27-year-old has gone on to slot four from four in the win over the Pumas in Buenos Aires, as well two from two in the victory against the Springboks in Pretoria, with the latter game seeing him hand over the tee to bench player Richie Mo’unga, who slotted three from three, including the match-winning conversion.

It’s a move which Barrett said revolved around Mo’unga’s fresh legs and also his own desire to be able to help out in the post-try huddles as one of the team’s leaders. However, it’s only after the Wellington drama that Barrett felt all right about handing the reins on, having not done so when Damian McKenzie was on the park in the capital.

‘‘It’s something that I learnt in the Wellington test, and something I hadn’t done before,’’ Barrett told Radio Sport. ‘‘On occasions where I perhaps may not be feeling good about my kicking I can easily hand over the tee.

‘‘Before that game we certainly hadn’t had a plan around ‘what ifs’ or the guy coming off the bench potentially taking over.

‘‘It’s important that everyone’s prepared. By all means the No 10 doesn’t have to do the job. It could be a front rower. It’s something we’re pretty fixated with in New Zealand rugby, it doesn’t have to be whoever’s at flyhalf doing that job. So what I’m saying is that it could vary.’’

The one criticism in the reigning two-time World Player of the Year’s game has been his goalkicking, and Barrett acknowledged there were psychological factors at play.

‘‘It’s a funny thing,’’ he told Radio Sport. ‘‘It’s whatever it is between the mind and the body and whatever it is that connects the two together. That’s where the magic and the secret is, when you can calm that voice or just eliminate all those external things and just be purely process-driven, that’s where you want to be.’’

While the calls have got louder for Mo’unga to be the All Blacks’ starting first five-eighth and for Barrett to start at fullback, such is the former’s game management and the latter’s X-factor, Barrett said his ego wouldn’t take a dent if he was moved from No 10, but that is his preferred position.

‘‘Yeah, I feel most comfortable there,’’ he said. ‘‘I enjoy going back to fullback, and it’s certainly a different perspective, an opportunity to sit back and be a driver of the team from the back.

‘‘I prefer to be in the first fiveeighth position, but I’m just happy when I’m on the field.’’

❏ West Coast’s hopes of playing in the Heartland Championship’s Lochore Cup semifinals were terminated before they took the field yesterday, with New Zealand Rugby’s change of decision on the province’s penalty for fielding an ineligible player.

On Wednesday, West Coast were handed a $4000 fine (half to be suspended for any repeat in the next five years) for breaching player eligibility regulations during the competition, but on the eve of their final-round game against East Coast in Greymouth the union was instead stripped six competition points, following an NZR appeal council decision.

On Friday night it was announced that an appeal from HorowhenuaKapiti (sitting in fifth place and out of reach of West Coast) on behalf of eight Heartland unions was heard that day in regards to the breach.

The appeal council upheld the panel’s original decision as to West Coast’s culpability, but varied the sanction imposed, removing the fine and replacing it with a six-point competition deduction.