Let’s talk about six Foster explains selection of Barrett at blindside flanker

Last time they tried it, the All Blacks crashed and burned in the Rugby World Cup semifinal against England. But coach Ian Foster says he’s undeterred by history in his choice of Scott Barrett at No 6 to face Ireland tomorrow.

Barrett’s selection on the blindside flank was the major talking point of Foster’s first team of the year for the opener of three straight July tests tomorrow night. His presence certainly beefs up the pack, and bolsters the lineout, ahead of what’s expected to be a stern examination up front at the hands of the Irish.

Barrett’s only previous start at No 6 for the All Blacks was when Steve Hansen shifted him there in a bid to combat England’s muscular pack in the 2019 semifinal in Yokohama. That move backfired badly as Eddie Jones’ forwards laid a mighty foundation for a famous 19-7 victory.

The 28-year-old has started 25 of his 48 tests in the second row, with just that solitary appearance at 6. He also has 22 caps as a reserve, mostly also slotting in as a lock. He also plays principally in the tight five for the Crusaders, though has been intermittently used on the blindside flank over the years,

But Foster conceded yesterday, via a zoom call with New Zealand media, that circumstances had served up an opportunity he had been pondering for some time. Regular No 6 Akira Ioane has been nursing a ‘‘sore foot’’ and it was felt he needed more time to get that right, while Dalton Papalii, named on the bench and a player the coach was intrigued by as a blindside flanker, was ‘‘not quite there’’ after his recent appendix surgery.

‘‘We know he can do it,’’ said the coach of Barrett. ‘‘We feel he’s one of the form players of Super Rugby in the last six weeks. We just felt it was the right way to utilise those other two, and use Scott for this test.’’

Foster shrugged off any suggestion the 2019 misfire might have discouraged him from making the move.

‘‘I didn’t spend too long thinking about 2019,’’ he said. ‘‘We took some lessons from that, but they were learned a long time ago. On this one we were very clear about the strategy . . . apart from his set piece acumen, and we know how good he is in that space, he also brings a bruising defence and a ball-carrying part to his game now.

‘‘In fact he’s probably our most dynamic lock/ball-carrier at the moment and I think we can utilise that at 6. If you sit down with Scott, he finds the roles (lock and 6) very

similar now, except for a couple of defensive tweaks which we’ve had to make sure we tidy up.’’

The prop mix, like many of the

selections, also became a case of who was left standing. Foster confirmed Nepo Laulala was not considered because of an ongoing sore

neck, and Tyrel Lomax had been called in to provide cover for the next few days.

That left Ofa Tuungafasi to start*