Highlanders refuse to be ruffled by Blues’ Barrett games
Highlanders No 10 Mitch Hunt and assistant coach Riki Flutey have let suggestions that Beauden Barrett will play in the Super Rugby TransTasman final slide through to the keeper with the skill of Black Caps craftsman Devon Conway.
After Blues No 10 Otere Black copped a knock at training yesterday the Blues appeared to indicate that Barrett could be in line to replace him, but if that was an attempt at mind games it appeared to fall a bit flat when the news reached Dunedin.
‘‘That’s the first I’ve heard,’’
Hunt said. ‘‘If he is, he is.
‘‘Good on them for getting him out there. It’s the third time playing them this weekend and it’s 1-1. If he’s there, so be it.’’
Flutey also refused to take the bait, noting Barrett’s obvious qualities but putting the focus on other parts of the Blues game.
‘‘Beauden Barrett, he’s a worldclass player and he’s pretty refreshed, and he’s been carving up over in Japan,’’ Flutey said.
‘‘So, that’ll add a bit of spark to their attack and how they play, if he gets the opportunity to play.
‘‘But also, other things we’re expecting from the Blues are the intensity and physicality that they always bring to the game.
‘‘We know that they’ve got X-factor players all throughout their team, that we need to analyse and take care of.’’
Barrett is back in Auckland after a spell with Suntory in Japan, where he lost in the Top League final to the Panasonic Wild Knights.
But it remains highly unlikely that the Blues would consider parachuting him into the final, even in the event of an injury to Black, given that it would show a lack of faith in the players who have led them into the decider.
The Highlanders also want a laser-like like focus on their own game, and they exuded a quiet confidence yesterday that if they nailed the plan they could upset the Blues – despite having their own injury worries in Jona Nareki and Pari Pari Parkinson.
Hunt knows what a titlewinning side looks like: in fact, it could be argued that he’ll be the most experienced player at Eden Park when it comes to success in the big games at Super Rugby and provincial level.
He was part of the Crusaders’ 23-man in their final triumphs from 2017-2019, and his Tasman side won back-to-back provincial titles in 2019-2020, the second of which was against Auckland at Eden Park.
That has taught him about what will be important in the pressure cooker at Eden Park.
‘‘These big games are just in the moments, it’s actually the really small things that matter,’’ he said.
‘‘Who can get the least penalties, the least errors ... be the tidiest around their game plan.
‘‘It’s just us focusing on us. If we try to get our game really clean and tight, it’s just going to take care of itself.’’