Taking his game to the next level
Hansen expects Barrett to get even better at first-five for the All Blacks with Mo’unga and McKenzie both pushing him for his place
The All Blacks believe Richie Mo’unga’s challenge could send Beauden Barrett to a new level based on the performance of the No 10 against the Wallabies in Sydney.
Barrett was steady rather than spectacular in the first half at ANZ Stadium but flourished after the break as he set about ripping the Australians to shreds in the 38-13 victory on Saturday.
His try came after he capitalised on a mistake by Wallabies wing Dane Haylett-Petty and kicked the ball ahead three times, once with his left foot and twice with his right under extreme pressure from halfback Will Genia. It was classic Barrett, who has a seemingly supernatural ability to make the ball bounce as he wants.
It was New Zealand’s third try and pushed the team to a 19-6 lead, effectively killing Wallabies hopes of a comeback.
Elsewhere, Barrett’s ability to see space and send his teammates on their own marauding missions kept the Wallabies on high alert for virtually the entire second half.
He said afterwards he doesn’t take any notice of media reports — the inference being he wasn’t aware of the commentary for Crusaders star Mo’unga to replace him — but a day later, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen suggested the 27-year-old had been under external pressure to perform.
“First of all, he showed us he’s human and he probably felt a bit of that pressure,” Hansen said.
“But more importantly, he showed us he can cope with it. The more the game went on, the better he went, and his confidence grew.
“We know he’s a world-class player and we’ve got a lot of faith in him. We’re really lucky we’ve got two other guys; Richie, yes, he is going to be a really good All Black, and so is young [Damian] McKenzie. In that position, we’re sitting pretty good. It’s about the three of them getting used to working together and making themselves better because of that and not being hindered by it.”
The key to all this is communication from the All Blacks coaches and decision-making based on honesty and integrity.
There is little doubt it is working in the midfield, where Sonny Bill Williams, Ryan Crotty, Anton LienertBrown, Jack Goodhue and Ngani Laumape all seem to have a close and mutually beneficial relationship, and
so it must be at first-five, perhaps the most important position on the field.
They are usually among the highest-profile players in any team, and as Hansen said, they often aren’t used to being challenged.
“I think back to Dan [Carter] when some of those boys, Crudes [Aaron Cruden] and so on, were starting to put pressure on him . . . because they are superstars, they’re not used to having someone tracking them, and all of a sudden, you’re looking over your shoulder, ‘wow, what’s this coming?’ Once they get that and feel comfortable with that, you actually see them go to another level, and so we are looking forward to seeing Beauds do that.”
Mo’unga, who ran the water for the All Blacks at ANZ Stadium, will get his chance for a more meaningful role in this Rugby Championship — most likely against Argentina in Nelson on September 8 or Buenos Aires on September 30. The 24-year-old, who led the Crusaders to back-to-back titles after learning his trade from Carter, outplayed Barrett in Super Rugby this year.
But rather than hinder his teammate, it is in fact helping him, and the favour will no doubt be repaid this year.