Pressure on No. 10: Why Beauden Barrett’s performance may decide the Lions series

No – it’s not a reference to the heat growing on Theresa May at 10 Downing Street. No politics here. Far more important than that, it’s the topic of the forthcoming series between the British and Irish Lions and New Zealand.

After a sequence of breathtaking performances for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby, All Blacks’ No. 10 Beauden Barrett has been acclaimed as a rugby revolutionary – a player whose talents can redefine the position in which he plays.

Barrett has a skill-set unusual for an outside-half or first five-eighth. In some ways, he has learnt the position back-to-front. A few years ago, as a member of the Junior World Cup winning 2011 baby All Blacks, Barrett was a full-back – and he still has many of those characteristics.

He is big for a fly-half at almost 6’2 and well over 90 kilograms, he is at home in the backfield when counter-attacking in space while also having the strength and speed of a back three player.

The attributes of a modern No. 10 have been grafted on steadily, and not without the odd hiccough along the way. The variations in positioning at first receiver, the use of the kicking game and the ability to navigate his team up and down the field are all aspects of his continuing rugby education.

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It is not as if Barrett has not had problems against Warren Gatland’s defensive teams in the past. In this column back in August, I discussed the issues Barrett had faced against Wales’ rush defence in the end of year tour in 2014.

Barrett only began to solve those problems when Colin Slade came on to replace Sonny-Bill Williams midway through the second period, offering an alternate first receiver and allowing Barrett to revert to the fullback role more often.

Wales threw 14 defenders into the line that afternoon, leaving Leigh Halfpenny alone behind it and challenging New Zealand to beat them with the kicking game.

Wind the clock forward another ten months, and here we are again. Another powerful rush defence with Halfpenny likely to line up in the rearguard, with potentially another All Black midfield featuring Barrett at five-eighth and Sonny-Bill at inside-centre.

The Lions’ defence coach Andy Farrell has made a career of ruining the prospects of opposing outside-halves. When I worked with ‘Faz’ and Stuart Lancaster for England, it was always an area we paid particular attention, and I doubt that those good habits have died away.

It is noticeable that the three fringe All Black fly-halves who have faced the Lions thus far – Ritchie Mo’unga, Lima Sopoaga and Damian McKenzie – have not appeared to enjoy the experience.

As Liam Messam said after the Chiefs match, “It’s different to Super Rugby, that sort of line speed. We’re probably not used to that. The only team that really does line speed like that is the Hurricanes. So once again, it’s good learning and maybe it’s something that we as a team, we can take and steal some of their ideas. It’s a very effective way of defending.”

Coaching education works both ways. Although New Zealand is at the cutting edge of innovation in the world game, defence and the lineout are two areas where the All Blacks may have to bow to superior Lions’ wisdom – at least for this series.

There is no equivalent to Lions lineout guru Steve Borthwick on the All Black coaching staff, while Farrell is emerging as possibly the most outstanding defensive coach in the global game.

With Wayne Smith having pioneered attacking ideas for so long, the intellectual head-to-head between himself and Farrell off the field promises to be every bit as intriguing as the personnel battles on it.

The All Blacks coaching staff will definitely be mindful of the fate suffered by Maori No. 10 Damian McKenzie at Rotorua last Saturday. The manner in which the Lions’ line-speed eroded McKenzie’s self-confidence during the match made for fascinating viewing.

The Lions first box-kick exit by Conor Murray travelled all the way to the Maori 40-metre line. The picture McKenzie saw in front of him after the ball was moved infield was not the scenario he would have been expecting from his Super Rugby experience.

Lions’ No. 12 Ben Te’o is right up in McKenzie’s face as he receives the ball and there are seven other chasers in support. Meanwhile, McKenzie has only one teammate behind the ball outside him.

Te’o also has an insurance policy if he gets beaten one-on-one by McKenzie – either of the bottom points of the defensive triangle – Johnny Sexton or Jonathan Davies – can fold in and make the tackle in behind him.

In the end, McKenzie was forced to do something he didn’t want, kicking the ball innocuously to Leigh Halfpenny.

On the next kick return, again starting from inside the Maori half, McKenzie chose to take on Te’o with No. 7 Sean O’Brien hovering dangerously close to the tackle area.

The ball was very slow on next phase and the Maoris passed up the chance to take quick lineout throws and up the tempo thereafter – already a small victory for the Lions’ structured defence.

The next time McKenzie received a usable ball he dropped deeper and kicked the ball away.

The theme of McKenzie dropping ever deeper with his back-line angled to enable the ball to reach the far wide channel became stronger as the game wore on.

This attack looks more promising at first glance. McKenzie has a fully reassembled backline as he goes to pass and there is room for Nehe Milner-Skudder to run into space beyond Jonathan Davies.

In the second frame, Davies runs all the way up to the line before sliding off onto Milner-Skudder. He is at full stretch to reach the Maori winger, with George North coming up to take the last attacker (James Lowe at 37:56).

But reach him he does, and moreover, he’s back on his feet contesting the next tackle.

Now, look at the situation that has resulted. The Maoris have advanced less than ten metres from the site of the first ruck, and the Lions’ defensive line is fully realigned and numbered up for the ensuing phase.

The game is firmly back ‘in structure’ and that can only favour the touring side.

The Lions defence kept on pounding that rock, and McKenzie started making more and more mistakes under the pressure.

A kick-off went less than ten metres, a high ball was dropped, a tackle on Ben Te’o was missed close to the Maori goal-line and a poor decision to chip short down the middle from well inside his own 22 gave the Lions an easy return.

Another kick through by Davies gave the Lions a position to score a five-metre scrum try – see 3:06 in this clip.

At this stage of the game it became clear that McKenzie – the most dangerous return man in Super Rugby – had run out of ideas on how to combat the rush defence.

His indecision costs his side a turnover, as he’s bouldered backwards in the tackle and sees the ball ripped away unceremoniously by Sean O’Brien.

Even late in the game, the Lions’ defensive speed and shape was still intact.

The same defensive triangle seen in the sixth minute appears again, this time with Jonathan Davies at the sharp tip and forcing a forward pass out of ‘DMac’.

Look how far behind the advantage-line Milner-Skudder is receiving the pass from Ihaia West on this occasion – fully 15 metres behind the site of the previous ruck!

Summary
Eden Park promises a collision of epic proportions between the best attacking side in the world for as long as anyone can remember and a team built in the image of one the most progressive defensive minds on the planet, Andy Farrell.

Can Beauden Barrett make the final stage of the ascent and prove that he really is redefining the first five-eighth position in a new era? Will he exorcise whatever demons remain from that 2014 game against Wales and prove that the partnership with Sonny-Bill can work?

Or will the Lions defence prove to be as just as relentless as Liam Messam suggested, and dominate right to the end of the game? Will Barrett go the same way as McKenzie in the Maori match?

The scene is set for one of the most intriguing battles between North and South in recent memory.