Berrick Barnes’s unerring right boot has kept him in the Wallabies backline but it’s his untested hands, to defuse Argentine bombs certain to come his way, which Australia must rely on this weekend.
Preparing for his first representative match at fullback, Barnes is braced for a baptism of fire in Saturday night’s Rugby Championship clash with the up-and-unders “raining down on me”.
While new halfback Nick Phipps is an obvious target for Pumas who see the Wallabies as vulnerable without Will Genia, the makeshift No.15 is also in the crosshairs.
Barnes has been preferred ahead of the out-of-sorts Kurtley Beale and must instantly handle the high-ball assault which is a key plank of Argentina’s unorthodox play, grounded in their strength at the breakdown.
It’s a tactic few execute better than the highly-physical tourists, who boast one of the best kicking five-eighths in Juan Martin Hernandez.
Barnes well remembers Hernandez as the best player of the 2007 World Cup and is embracing the novel challenge coming his way on the Gold Coast.
The NSW Waratahs playmaker knows it will be a different kettle of fish to the free-running Sydney club turn-outs he enjoyed at fullback last year.
“It’s how I deal with that which will determine the future,” Barnes said. “I’ve trained as hard as I can for it.
“I’m looking forward to the kicking and trying to take those high balls.
“We’ve done a lot of work there through the week and it’s time to come to fruition.”
With fit-again Pat McCabe recalled to inside centre, it was Barnes’s 25-from-29 success rate as Wallabies goalkicker this year that earned his retention ahead of Beale, who has lost his trademark zip and confidence.
With just eight tries from seven Tests so far in 2012, the Wallabies are relying on penalty goals so there’s no doubt that Pumas adviser Graham Henry, who enjoyed a 12-3 Bledisloe record over Robbie Deans, will preach discipline within their half.
As much as Argentina coach Santiago Phelan has stressed that former All Blacks mentor Henry is solely working to add more dimensions to the Pumas game, Barnes is certain the tourists will be tapping into his intimate knowledge of Australia’s play.
The Pumas have done well to draw with South Africa and scare New Zealand for 65 minutes last week but there’s concerns that, after 26,000km of travel and three rugged encounters, they may have reached a critical mass.
New skipper Nathan Sharpe is tipping a break-out performance with all players determined to step up in the absence of Genia.
“It’s not just about Phippsy coming in and replacing Will,” he said. “It’s about everyone else fulfilling an extra one or two per cent of a role that they may not naturally do when Will’s there and the result could be surprising.”
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