History shows Jordie Barrett a must for the All Blacks
OPINION: The last player to make his debut against the British and Irish Lions in the first test of a series scored two tries.
Israel Folau was the man, playing on the Wallabies’ right wing after less than one full season of Super Rugby, where he was deployed at No 15 by then Waratahs coach Michael Cheika.
In that Brisbane test the Lions couldn’t handle him.
Three weeks later Folau hobbled off after 27 minutes of the third test. On came another debutant, former Brumbies fullback Jesse Mogg, who was one of the rare bright spots in a poor Wallabies performance.
So we should not talk ourselves out of considering Hurricanes No 15 Jordie Barrett for the All Blacks based on assumptions about age or experience. Pele was 17 when he scored twice in a Fifa World Cup final.
Instead, let us trust our eyes and instinct. And what do they tell us? That Jordie is not your normal customer.
Folau, in some ways, was prepared for the Lions pressure because of his background in the State of Origin cauldron when playing for Queensland.
Yet in other ways he was far less ready than Barrett.
He came to rugby from AFL and physically and tactically the early days of his Waratahs career were a challenge.
Frequently, he was caught out of position at fullback and Cheika persisted with him there because he was playing a long game. He was prepared to live with some mistakes because he knew that once he started feeling comfortable in his third sporting code his natural ability would take over.
Robbie Deans wasn’t quite prepared to hand him the fullback jersey but felt he was simply too good to ignore. His Wallabies debut in that first test came just five months after his Waratahs debut.
Barrett, by comparison, looks so at ease on the rugby field that he could probably play anywhere from No 10 to No 15.
His backfield coverage is excellent. It is no coincidence that opposition clearing kicks always seem to find him. He reads the play so well and those long limbs get him around the park.
No wonder Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd is bending his ear about fullback being his best position. It is.
Then there is his goal kicking. Apparently a side strain is preventing big brother Beauden from taking the tee but for the Hurricanes that’s a blessing in disguise. Jordie is the more natural striker of the ball.
When he approaches the ball you do not expect him to miss. With Beauden goalkicking success feels like a bonus.
His physical readiness is a little harder to gauge because Super Rugby is a step below what the Lions will bring but he is certainly robust.
Like all good fullbacks he does not mind taking contact if there is nothing else on. And that speaks to his footballing maturity. He does not look for a miracle way out of trouble: sometimes he’ll just dip the body into contact, fight, for a metre and wait for support.
The difficult part is where to fit him in. Should the All Blacks pick back three options of Ben Smith, Israel Dagg, Julian Savea and Waisake Naholo that’s a nice mix and Jordie will not usurp any of them.
But if they are looking for a utility that can float between the four midfielders and four back three squad members then he becomes a possibility.
What shouldn’t count him out, however, is the lack of caps beside his name. Some apprentices are ready before others.