HOW THE ALL BLACKS RATED
Steve Hansen calls them ‘‘blessed’’, but for the recordbreaking, metre-eating fabulous Barrett brothers Wednesday’s remarkable night out in Oita was a blast back to the good old days.
At times it was as though big brother Beauden and younger siblings Scott and Jordie were not out there at the hot, clammy Oita Stadium setting the roofed venue alight with their stunning range of skills, but back as kids running round the family backyard in rural Taranaki.
The Barrett brothers set a record as the first trio of brothers to all score a try in the same World Cup match as the All Blacks shut out Canada 63-0 in southern Japan.
On a night when handling was difficult and the ball at times like a piece of soap, the Barrett brothers delivered a familial tour de force in a nine-try explosion.
Beauden underlined his status as the best player at this tournament with a stunning statistical outing on a night when the All Blacks ran for a tournament-best 906 metres (to 291) on 177 runs, with 94 carries over the gainline, 45 defenders beaten, 22 clean breaks and 22 offloads. They
‘‘When you’re blessed, you’re blessed and all three of them are blessed.’’ Steve Hansen on the Barrett brothers
scored three tries in 17 minutes in the first spell and five in 17 in the second half to leave the Canucks spellbound.
Barrett Snr compiled a dazzling 169m on 18 runs, with a trio of clean breaks and six defenders beaten.
His only blemish on a night of high quality was his breakaway in the final minute that saw him run out of gas just short of the line and fumble the slippery ball forward.
‘‘Everything just happened in slow motion,’’ laughed Beauden post-match of his ill-fated break. ‘‘It was like I was on a treadmill and I’m glad that was the 79th minute and not the first, otherwise I’d be asking myself some questions.’’
Scott and Jordie chipped in splendidly, though Scott bombed a certain five-pointer late in the first half when the piece of soap slipped from his hands as he was Beauden Barrett: Dropped an early high kick, but was almost faultless thereafter. Dynamic with ball in hand. Made a great try-saving tackle. Another formidable performance. 9 Jordie Barrett: Looks out of place on the wing. Caught Richie Mo’unga’s crosskick for the first try of the night, but was quiet outside of that. 6
Jack Goodhue: Did a lot of good work on both sides of the ball in his 40 minutes of action. 7 Sonny Bill Williams: Vintage stuff in his 51 minutes on the park, his best game in black in a long time. Good footwork and strength for his try, a lovely grubber for Beauden Barrett’s 36th minute try, before a great run to set up Rieko Ioane’s try. 9 Rieko Ioane: When the game was still a contest, of sorts, in the first half, Ioane was found
reaching for the line. He made up for that lapse five minutes into the second stanza when he finished off a nice piece of interplay with Richie Mo’unga and Kieran Read.
Beauden dotted down off a pinpoint grubber kick from Sonny wanting. Conceded a couple of soft penalties, dropped a ball in contact and could barely beat a defender. Was better in the second half but won’t be threatening the starting wingers for the big games based on the first-half effort. 5
Richie Mo’unga: A sumptuous performance as he looked to take on Canada’s defensive line. Had a hand in multiple tries. Perfect from the kicking tee as well. 9
TJ Perenara: Looked lively in his 40 minutes on the field. Was sniping around the ruck and running good support lines. 7 Kieran Read: Highlighted his enduring quality with an industrious performance. Was still carrying hard late in the match and won a lineout against the throw with four minutes remaining. 9
Bill Williams just before halftime, while Jordie had the All Blacks’ second try when he fell over the line to complete the easiest of scores off a Mo’unga crosskick.
Jordie gobbled up 81m in total off 15 runs with four clean breaks, while Scott chimed in with 50m Matt Todd: Wasn’t a lot of work for a fetcher in this open game, but he carried well when needed. 7
Shannon Frizell: Thundering carries in the first half and got a try when working well with Ioane near a rolling maul. Still a gulf between him and the frontline loose forwards. 7
Scott Barrett: Lost a couple of points for fumbling a certain try in comical fashion in the 32nd minute, but his core roles were strong. Scored a try in the second spell. 8
Patrick Tuipulotu: Didn’t show the best of hands in the first half, but enjoyed a solid enough day in his core role at lineout time. 6 Angus Ta’avao: Started in perfect fashion when helping win his side a penalty try with a pushover under the Canada posts, but was strangely hooked
via 17 runs, with a pair of defenders skinned and seven of eight tackles nailed.
‘‘They’re pretty handy,’’ noted All Blacks coach Steve Hansen afterwards. ‘‘Beauden is an exceptional footballer. I can’t wait to see the GPS numbers on how