It’s the battle of two brilliant playmakers
Barrett v Mo’unga: Let the game of thrones begin
No side has won Super Rugby without either a world-class first-five, or at least a test No 10 whose greatest year was the one in which his side were champions.
No matter how much Super Rugby has overhauled its format, fiddled with rules and seen member unions play politics, one constant remains since the first competition in 1996.
No side has won Super Rugby without either a world-class first-five, or at least a test No 10 whose greatest year was the one in which his side were crowned champions.
Look at the champion teams and then look at who they had at No 10.
The list is undeniable, starting with Carlos Spencer with the Blues in
1996 and working through Andrew Mehrtens and Dan Carter at the Crusaders, Morne Steyn at the Bulls, Stephen Larkham at the Brumbies and Aaron Cruden at the Chiefs.
When the Waratahs won in 2014, Bernard Foley was at his peak. He was a good Wallaby, but in 2014, he was perhaps more than that.
Lima Sopoaga enjoyed the best season of his career in 2015, and while he was only able to be a peripheral All Black, that year, he was in such great form in Super Rugby as to have the national selectors seriously consider taking him and not Daniel Carter to the World Cup.
There are, of course, two other No 10s who have won titles. Beauden Barrett was the best player on the planet when he led the Hurricanes to their only championship to date in
2016, while Richie Mo’unga has a solid case to state he was Super Rugby Player of the Year every season from
2017 to 2021 — a period in which the Crusaders won five consecutive titles.
That these two will be in direct opposition in the 2022 final creates a reasonably simple means to determine who will win: whoever between Barrett and Mo’unga exerts the greater influence.
Just because Eden Park will be littered with test players tonight, doesn’t mean it’s a test match. A fullhouse at Eden Park will add to that feeling of this being a game out of the ordinary, but it won’t be governed by the same factors as a test because so much more action will go through the respective No 10s and so much will depend on how they use the ball.
What we have is Barrett versus Mo’unga framed as the Blues versus the Crusaders.
Which is why the Blues start as marginal favourites. Barrett has been the most influential No 10 in the competition to date and is playing as well as he ever has.
And Barrett, in the sort of form he’s in, can’t be shut down at this level, not when the Blues continue to use him so cleverly.
They have recognised that Barrett is best used in a mix of frontline and backfield duties and hence have often positioned him at fullback, bringing the sharper passing of Stephen Perofeta into the playmaking role.
The combination between Barrett and Perofeta has enabled the former to roam around the backline and act as a strike runner, without compromising his ability to also be the chief decision-maker.
But the biggest difference between Barrett in 2022 and Barrett in 2016 when he steered the Hurricanes to the title, is that he’s now in possession of a smarter and more accurate kicking game and is a higher impact defender with the ability to make game-changing tackles.
There’s also the added dimension that the Blues haven’t quite delivered in the last four weeks. They have been scrappy, inconsistent and a little hesitant at times, saved by the brilliance of Barrett and Perofeta and the team’s collective resistance.
A better performance is due, and a final, against the Crusaders at a soldout Eden Park, feels like the sort of occasion that will eke out the best of the Blues and one more genius display from Barrett.
It may bring out more in Mo’unga, too, who hasn’t been at his scintillating best in 2022, but not far off.
He has proven himself a player, in Super Rugby at least, for the big occasion, and he’s more than capable of producing magical moments that swing the final the way of the Crusaders.
It’s just that the way things are tracking, it feels like this is going to be Barrett’s final; the night when he and not Mo’unga is crowned the playmaking king.