Recently, there was talk about whether Beauden Barrett should shift to flyhalf for the All Blacks and Richie Mo’unga be benched. We saw him fielded there against the Wallabies in Bledisloe 4 and his performance was something worth chewing over.
Prior to this match, many claimed Mo’unga was reliant on a rolling forward pack and that Barrett was twice the player.
Is this true or is this just media criticism?
Barrett’s performance in Bledisloe 4 tells us a lot about it.
During the game, New Zealand lost prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi to a red card, forcing them to bench heavyweight blindside flanker Akira Ioane which took out quite a lot of forward power.
Instead of being dismantled like in 2019 by the English pack, the All Blacks scrum was stagnant and was not making progress. As such, the platform for the backs was not as good.
Let us consider how Barrett performed under these circumstances.
Passing game
Attempting to play a more traditional style of rugby, Barrett played flat with the ball in hand. His good distribution hit the line, but the Wallabies faced him with a solid and physical advancing defensive line. He hardly created major strike plays.
Kicking game
His tactical kicking was generally good and the line kicking was rock-solid. However, there was one botched backwards cross-kick from Barrett which killed the attacking momentum.
Running and defensive games
He made some steps here and there but ultimately failed to make major breaks and in defence, I would say he did decently.
(Matt King/Getty Images)
Summary of Barrett’s playing conditions
A stagnant scrum, although not a dismantled one, and a solid advancing defensive line. This ultimately neutralised him and he had to revert to pure distribution.
However, we must also consider TJ Perenara’s terrible performance.
Perenara was slow in playing the ball from the ruck which gave the Wallabies time to organise and tighten their defence. If the passes were faster, the scrambling defence would have been exploited by any world-class flyhalf – a tier which Barrett belongs in.
Ultimately, Barrett had a solid but unextraordinary performance.
He faced similar conditions to what Mo’unga did against England which caused people to say that he was an imitation of Barrett, but reliant on good conditions.
When faced with a stagnant or retreating pack, a solid defensive line, and a scrumhalf performing poorly, no flyhalf can do well.
Barrett is no exception.
This is not about the 29-year-old being a bad player, but the theory of him being a pure playmaker and Mo’unga one reliant on a rolling pack is simply not true.
A fast-playing scrumhalf like Aaron Smith and another pivot in Mo’unga would have helped.
While playing with dual pivots and having a ruck in the middle of the field, New Zealand could split with two world-class playmakers on either side to lead a strike play. Thereby, thinning the line and potentially breaking it.
In Bledisloe 4, Barrett had to keep working around the play.
Quick ball could not be played to the other pivot on the opposite side of the ruck which slowed play down and allowed the defensive line to close the space.
Barrett cannot run the game as a solo pivot against a strong defence due to these factors.
He is a solid number ten and a visionary broken play attacker, but as a solo pivot who can run the game all the time, he is not.
The solo pivot hardly works anymore, and all good teams play with more than one.
This should also apply to the All Blacks.
Jimbob
Roar Rookie
Sam Nock maybe...
Pundit
Roar Guru
Tom Christie, Bryn Hall, etc
Jimbob
Roar Rookie
Do you know if there are any upcoming 9’s in NZ outside of the super rugby teams or on the fringes – this year has been a bit broken up in terms of chances to see youngsters – I have a few game of Mitre 10 here and there but I haven’t really noticed any one – Webber isn’t bad but he isn’t a new face really either… at 29 he would be around 33 for the next World Cup so while not out of the question he might be pushing it a little.
nroko
Roar Rookie
Whoever it is they they need atleast 2 years test exp by the time world cup comes around. Interestingly TJ is the youngest of the 3 halfbacks currently. Aaron Smith will be 35 by world cup - at the moment he doesn't look like slowing down but anything can happen in the next 3 years.
Carlin
Roar Rookie
One of the problems is there isn’t too many other back up options that you would feel comfortable playing tests but will soon need to be looked at. They tried TTT in 2018 who looked like he was worth investing in then Weber surpassed him at the Chiefs and All Blacks. Drummond and Hall have been reliant servants for Crusaders. I think Hall would thrive in test match rugby as he is a good game manager. A couple of good up and comers in Fakatava, Christie and Roe. One of them is worth taking a punt on given the ages of the current three halfbacks in All Black squad.
Louis Smith
Roar Rookie
Bit harsh mate...Laumape broke his arm remember, to play again and try produce a top performance, his Test comeback,they're only human they're not machines
nroko
Roar Rookie
Aaron Smith won't be able to play every game. So what Saturday showed is the TJ is just not up to it. In fact the AB attack has suffered when ever TJ has come on this series. I think Brad Webber deserves more minutes. He looked good with the 7 minutes he had. I like TJ, thought he played well in SRA. He has been playing 2nd fiddle for about 8 years or so, but with him going to Japan, I am not sure if he will be getting his place back in the ABs.
Pundit
Roar Guru
tj is leaving for the japan at the end of the season and i prefer brad weber
Pundit
Roar Guru
sorry on that one mate.
Jimbob
Roar Rookie
Am is great – and has really changed certain parts of the position – his speed in defence is critical to how the boks play – it’s a similar sort of approach in some ways to how England often Jamie Joseph as well. The AB’s will also have new players and options in a short time – they sort of already do – I actually like Umaga Jensen as maybe a 13. NZ hasn’t had the same production line at U20’s level as they used too recently which is a little bit why there are some players around who maybe haven’t had as much pressure on them as they would have had in the past. The coaching set up is also very much a ‘club’ set up – great if your in the club but not so good if your outside trying to get in. It sometimes feels as if there are a few too many protected players who are regarded as too important to the culture and the changing room to be allowed to be replaced by a player who is likely performing better in super rugby. No 9 is a good example – TJ is a solid back up and bleeds black – but he isn’t really a world class 9 in key areas – Aaron Smith has obviously been the best in the world for some time but his performances have started to show some inconsistency. Both will be a fair bit past 30 when the next World Cup comes around – where is the next World Cup 9 – think of the 9’s who have been third string now over the last few years – it’s mostly Webber – and then think of the rest of the 9’s in NZ rugby… there isn’t much there in terms of test ready elite performers. It’s mostly kids or solid journey men. Talent will come through at some point but a more open and competitive selection environment does encourage in the domestic scene to lift their game or simply to hang around. As some of the current all blacks age out of the squad there will younger contenders coming through – Ian Foster may well also conclude at the end of this season it’s time for him to move and to start rejuvenating a squad that has shown a regression to the mean and is honestly not number 1 in the world anymore. New players will be critical to that and there are plenty – Clarke, Jordan, Ennor, Sotutu for example would all bring some of the youthful energy that the wallabies seem to have over the all blacks in two of the tests this year – you do lose the experience that let them crush the wallabies comprehensively in the other two games – but in terms of watchable rugby and the games broader global popularity an entertaining and exciting All Blacks team is vital so it may not be a bad thing.
I cringe when someone suggests who the world’s best player in a specific position is, mostly because it is a bold statement at the best of times. Am has come a long way in international rugby in a very short period, whether he has established himself as the best 13, I don’t know. ALB in my view is a class act as well. We have a few 13’s up an coming in SA as well, Similane and Gantz, plus a few 12’s as well in Rikus Pretorius and Marius Louw, future looks bright in the SA midfield.
Lara
Guest
That’s what Foster wants. Dropping this game reinforces that......the little devil.
Pundit
Roar Guru
Am is the best 13 on the world. He tackles hard, misses sometimes but he cuts off plays. He has the pace, the defensive intelligence, plus a deft touch in attack. The AB’s need an Am-like player at 13
Jimbob
Roar Rookie
Fair point - Petaia would be a nightmare for most players to deal with in broken play. That said I still feel like ALB is more of a Walter Little/ Mauger/ type player in both build and playing style. 13 is a tough position - your more exposed really than any other player - no sideline to help out like the wingers, the player attacking you often has passing options and your often to far wide of the ruck to get much help from the loosies or cover. Making the right decision about when to stay off and when to commit is hard - and at international level you really need outside back speed to buy you a little time and space to help make that decision. Not totally sure ALB is the right long term fit for the AB’s there. On a side note ESPN game states say he didn’t throw a single pass in that last Bledisloe game... not sure if it is true (I was genuinely surprised when I read it) but it’s an interesting stat - both for what it says about the effectiveness of the rush defence in terms of cutting off supply to the outside backs and also about the game plan for that match. I suppose it was an atypical crazy game though so weird stats wouldn’t be out of place.
Pundit
Roar Guru
alright. one thing i have to say is that petaia is an extraordinary attacker. good point on him better at 12 and all. however, i would rate petaia as one of the best attacking 13s on the planet and certainly among the 3 best running 13s so you shouldnt judge ALB on that.
Tooly
Roar Rookie
. What a problem to have . . Very hard to compare players in games when there are red cards. . Very hard to play Rugby with a referee who ignores off sides and finds a penalty every 3 minutes. . The ABs looked disoriented without Smith and the Clark option.
Yep, if NZ had a shortage of talented 10’s I would say BB is an option, but as things stand he adds more value at 15.
Carlin
Roar Rookie
I personally like Barrett at fullback. He has more space and gets can open the game up more. I agree with you on having the right person at halfback, Saturday showed why Aaron Smith needs to be playing. His delivery is a lot better than Perenara's which sets the high tempo the All Black want to play.
Carlin
Roar Rookie
I am with you mate. I think Barrett can have more of say when he is at fullback. Allows him to roam and get himself involved in the game in a little more space. He also can play is hand more carefully. Sometimes when he is at first five he is a little too helter skelter, Beauden Barrett is also a really good cover defender which suits fullback.
smoothy
Roar Rookie
I think Jordie would thrive with a chance in the #12! Otherwise I’d love Havili to get another chance - a forgotten man with terrible luck!