Oh brother, the Barretts are up for it!
STEVE HANSEN was walking through the All Blacks hotel yesterday when he heard an unfamiliar name. Lloyd. The Barrett brothers haven’t got a Lloyd. They’ve got a Beauden, a Scott and a Jordie, and all may be iinvolved against the British and Irish Lions tomorrow. But no Lloyd.Lloy Definitely no Lloyd. ‘Hey, Beauden,’Bea said Hansen. ‘Why did youyo call your brother Lloyd?’ It’s an old nickname for Scott, iti was explained. Lloyd, from thet film Dumb and Dumber, as played by Jim Carrey. Much fraternal cackling followed. ‘They’ve got their own gags and nicknames for each other,’ Hansen explained. ‘In their own way,w they’re their own unit.’ AndA what a unit. The day is edgingedg closer when Beauden, ScottScot and Jordie Barrett will make historyhist as the first trio of brothers to walk out as members of an All Blacks starting XV.
Maurice, Cyril and Laurie Brownlie represented New Zealand in the 1920s but were never all in one team. The same decade also saw Marcus, Harry and Harold Nicholls play for their country but, again, not simultaneously.
Recently, Sam, George and Luke Whitelock won international caps, but were never selected all together. Yet when the Barretts were placed in the same squad at the start of the tour, history was made. At Eden Park tomorrow, Jordie and Beauden start, Scott is among the replacements. If they are on together at any time, another barrier will be broken.
Of course, talent can run in a family. Danny, Ray and Rod Wallace played football for Southampton in 1988; Ken, Tusi and George Pisi were on the pitch together for Samoa in a game at the 2015 Rugby World Cup; WG Grace, and his brothers Fred and Edward, played cricket for England against Australia in 1880.
But given the sheer level of competition for rugby players here, to have three internationals under one roof is astonishing — particularly when a pair of them occupy positions that every young New Zealander wants to play, Beauden the fly-half, Jordie the full back.
Beauden is the marquee Barrett name with 52 caps and 357 points for his country, followed by Scott — the eldest — who has made seven appearances in an All Black shirt. Jordie, the youngster at 20, has never started an international and has played a single game as a replacement. There is another brother, Kane, who played Super Rugby with Auckland Blues, before sadly being forced to retire with concussion in 2014.
The gene pool, unsurprisingly, plays a part. Father Kevin was a leading provincial player with Taranaki, while mother Robyn was a respected athlete. The speed, the boys say, comes from her.
Fuelling the legend of the sporting super family is the story of Kevin’s final game for Taranaki. Asked what he intended to do after the last of his 167 matches, it is said he replied: ‘I’m going to breed some All Blacks.’ If true, it was a remarkably prescient statement.
It is testament to the way the Barretts are perceived in New Zealand that Hansen is willing to give Jordie his full debut in such an important match. He plays a key role, too, under the high ball that is expected to be a feature of the Lions’ game.
‘Jordie is very good aerially,’ Hansen said. ‘They’re going to give us a lot of high catches but he’s a very skilful rugby player and I’ve got great confidence in him. He’s cool, calm and collected — and comes from very good stock.’
The big question now is who kicks? Beauden is the All Blacks penalty-taker, but he missed a few in Wellington and Jordie is considered better from long range.
‘We haven’t decided yet, but usually when there’s two brothers, the older brother gets to go first,’ said Hansen. ‘Jordie can kick 50 or 60 metres, so if we get one from there he’ll probably have a crack.’
It’s not the only field in which it’s hard to separate them. The brothers play golf — both off an eight handicap. ‘When we compete, it’s pretty even,’ said Beauden. ‘It’s all on the day.’ As it will be tomorrow, when the fabulous Barrett boys step into history.