I’m not there yet, says Barrett
in Tokyo
With five short words, All Blacks playmaker Beauden Barrett surely sent a chill down the spines of those sides at this Rugby World who genuinely harbour ambitions of lifting that Webb Ellis Cup in Japan.
‘‘I’m not quite there yet,’’ said Barrett from the All Blacks hotel in Tokyo Bay, as he spoke to the media on the first day of preparations for the final pool match against Italy in Toyota on Saturday.
Barrett was asked about his form at fullback through the first two pool matches and whether he feels he has more to offer in this still fledgling dual playmaker setup he is undertaking alongside new starting first five-eighth Richie Mo’unga.
‘‘I’m certainly enjoying the role and everything is going fine from that point of view,’’ said the man who has already won rave reviews from his coach for his transition to the backfield spot. ‘‘I’m just chipping away with a couple of things.’’
Barrett left the rest unsaid, but the intent was clear. He does not believe he is the finished product in his roving role from deep and he feels like he can still add some wrinkles in his game repertoire to make himself even more of a threat. That will be a big part of the step up in level the All Blacks will look to take when they head into the knockout stage.
‘‘We’ve spoken about Richie and I figuring out ways to play so we’re not in each other’s pockets and finding our own space,’’ he said. ‘‘Whether we go forward with that plan or not, it’s something we’re conscious of and looking forward to working on.’’
The All Blacks’ final pool opponents may not be in the strongest of positions, with a new wave of props having to be ushered in after they lost two to injury and another two to suspension out of a cataclysmic defeat to South Africa last Friday.
And, of course, the Italians don’t have the best of records against the All Blacks at Rugby World Cup time. There was that honourable 31-21 defeat in Leicester in 1991, but otherwise it is grim reading.
But Barrett said it was important for the All Blacks to finish the pool phase on a high note as they transition to the high-stakes play of knockout rugby.
‘‘Psychologically you have to build towards that intensity of the knockout game,’’ he added. ‘‘You can’t just roll up next week and you’re into knockout footy mode. We’d like to think every week is the same and we’re going to bring that intensity. But it’s getting closer.’’