Last year’s test rookies have come of age

No longer lambs to the slaughter, Laumape and Barrett stronger for being tested — and trusted — in Lions den, writes Gregor Paul

If it was a surprise a year ago to see Ngani Laumape and Jordie Barrett thrust into a huge test at Eden Park, it shouldn’t have been this time around.

These two were rock solid when they were called up to play the third test of the Lions series last year.

It was a must-win game — the series was on the line — and the pressure intense. The All Blacks were battling injuries, illness and suspension and had to find a way to piece together a backline they felt could win them what was the biggest test since the 2015 World Cup final.

There was surprise when they opted to give Laumape his test debut at second-five and Barrett his second cap but first start at fullback.

They were young, inexperienced and potentially going to be exposed by a wily Lions backline with clever tacticians such as Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell in their mix.

But trusted to perform on the biggest stage, both Laumape and Barrett delivered beyond expectation.

The first try came from a combination between the two where Barrett climbed high to pat down a cross kick for Laumape to flop over the line.

There were other classy moments from both players and Barrett probably ended the night as man of the match and with that, the All Blacks, as they so often do, proved that

trusting people is a powerful weapon.

And that is the moral of the story so to speak, that the All Blacks in the last 10 years haven’t got themselves in a muddle with their selections or failed to back their initial instincts.

They only pick payers in their squad who they are prepared to use. They don’t manufacture reasons why, other than injury, they have to go outside the group they have picked.

What damage might it have done to both Barrett and Laumape had they not been selected to play the Lions last year? There they were in the squad, young and inexperienced but fit and raring to go.

Whatever risk the All Blacks were taking by picking them, it would have been a far higher one to have not picked them.

The added benefit, of course, is that 12 months on, both players have been recalled in eerily similar circumstances to play at Eden Park and this time the expectation is that Laumape and Barrett will play as well as they did against the Lions.

No one appears to be focusing on the potential risks this time and instead there is only a level of excitement at what Barrett might be able to achieve aerially without the presence of Wallabies fullback Israel Folau on the field.

As for Laumape, there were questions about his communication, or lack of. He was left out of the initial Rugby Championship squad when the five midfielders who were involved in June had to be squeezed to four.

In dropping Laumape, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen suggested that the Hurricanes midfielder needed to improve his ability to connect with his first-five, do a bit more to verbally steer the key decision-maker through the game.

Hansen was equally keen on Thursday to not allow Laumape’s quietness to be overstated or built into a bigger issue than it actually is.

“He knows what we want him to talk about,” said Hansen. “Sport is a lot easier when people can connect via voice. Ngani plays outside of a position where there’s a massive amount of expectation put on the 10 to make all the right decisions and yet he can’t see everything.

“The closest guy to talk to him is the 12. I don’t want to make it bigger than Ben Hur. We’re just asking him to talk about things that maybe he’s hearing from other players and also what he’s seeing himself.” All Blacks: Jordie Barrett, Ben Smith, Jack Goodhue, Ngani Laumape, Waisake Naholo, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Smith, Kieran Read (c), Sam Cane, Liam Squire, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Owen Franks, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody. Reserves: Nathan Harris, Karl Tu’inukuafe, Ofa Tuungafasi, Scott Barrett, Ardie Savea, TJ Perenara, Damian McKenzie, Anton Lienert-Brown.

Wallabies: Dane Haylett-Petty, Jack Maddocks, Reece Hodge, Kurtley Beale, Marika Koroibete, Bernard Foley, Will Genia, David Pocock, Michael Hooper (c), Lukhan Tui, Adam Coleman, Izack Rodda, Allan Alaalatoa, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Scott Sio. Reserves: Folau Faingaa, Tom Robertson, Sekope Kepu, Rob Simmons, Pete Samu, Nick Phipps, Matt Toomua, Tom Banks.