He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother
In the moment prior to using his 117kg body as a missile to bowl one of his siblings, Scott Barrett must filter some crucial information.
Because the Crusaders lock knows if he gets the timing wrong, both Beauden or Jordie are capable of leaving him grasping nothing but fresh air and harbouring angry feelings as the Hurricanes backs rocket downfield.
Yet it’s not as if Scott is alien to such situations. When the Barrett boys chucked around a rugby ball as kids they would have laughed and toyed with each other, enjoying the freedom of having everything to gain and nothing to lose on the lawn of their parents’ Taranaki farm.
Despite the stakes in this Super Rugby match in Wellington tonight being much higher – the result could have a profound effect on the final outcome of the New Zealand conference standings – Scott is unlikely to intimidate first five-eighth Beauden or fullback Jordie into toning down their urge to exploit a leg-weary tight forward.
‘‘If they do try to run straight, I like to welcome it with a bit of a solid contact,’’ Scott, 24, said with a laugh. ‘‘It is just about treating them with a bit of respect.
‘‘If I am marking them in the backline, without giving too much away, I just try to get them to the deck because they are both pretty quick athletes. For a big forward like myself, it is just about getting them to the ground.’’
Their mother, Robyn, might not enjoy the sight of one of her boys getting buried, but like all tight forwards, Scott knows it’s important to enjoy the exhilarating feeling of being able to nail a fast back.
Of course the downside of all this is that if he misses his target, open season could be declared.
Nicknamed Lloyd by his brothers, a take-off of the character Lloyd Christmas from the comedy movie Dumb and Dumber, Scott was chipped last year after he attempted to block a clearance kick.
‘‘I tried to charge Jordie down and I think he muttered ‘too slow Lloyd’ or something like that. So I will be out to get the chargedown in this one.’’
Last year the three Barrett boys represented the All Blacks at the same time on two occasions; during the 78-0 win over Samoa and the 15-all draw in the third test against the British and Irish Lions.
It was a big moment for the Barrett household. Their father Kevin, the gnarly lock who represented the Hurricanes and Taranaki, would undoubtedly have been stoked, but it was Robyn who displayed more emotion.
‘‘She is pretty grateful and we are grateful as kids for the upbringing they gave us,’’ Scott says. ‘‘Over the summer you reflect on the year gone, and it was pretty awesome to have three us of out there in those two tests.’’
Unlike Beauden, who will make his 100th appearance for the Hurricanes, and Jordie, Scott hasn’t kicked any goals in a first-class match. But it doesn’t mean he isn’t handy at the job, proving more than useful during his days at Francis Douglas Memorial College in New Plymouth.
‘‘I used to kick for the 1st XV in my first year in the team in the sixth form, but then I gave it up. I should have kept up with it. I was doing it with the around the corner (run-up), with the high tee on the angle.’’
He isn’t a regular sight on the fairways either, he says. Rather than hit a white ball around manicured grass, he says he would rather get on to the briny: ‘‘I am not too big into golf, but those boys (Beauden and Jordie) enjoy it. I used to play a bit at school but it seems to take up too much time these days. I would rather go out on a surfboard or throw out a fishing line or something like that.’’
The World Cup in Japan later next year looms large on Barrett’s calendar. Barring injury or a dramatic form slump, he should have a decent shot at making Steve Hansen’s squad for the global tournament.
If Hansen elects to carry just three locks in his squad, as he did in the 2015 tournament, the tussle for places will be intense. Given their pedigree, the smart money rests on Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick to secure two spots with the chasing pack likely to include Luke Romano, Patrick Tuipulotu, Vaea Fifita and Barrett.
Regarding whether he is tempted to join his brothers at the Hurricanes, he won’t go further than to confirm he is in contract talks.
‘‘I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself in regards to those decisions. I am happy here [at the Crusaders] at the moment. Hopefully, if we all play in the All Blacks, that would be ideal. Hopefully we can win another title here.’’
"If they do try to run straight, I like to welcome it with a bit of a solid contact. It is just about treating them with a bit of respect."
Scott Barrett, the Crusaders’ 117kg lock, on facing his fleet-footed brothers in Hurricanes colours