Beauden Barrett opens up on the evolution of the game and explains how the Springboks usurped the All Blacks as rugby’s dominant force
Beauden Barrett celebrates an All Blacks try (inset) and in action against the Springboks.
Beauden Barrett has opened up about the evolution of the professional game over the past decade and how it has affected the All Blacks in the international arena.
The All Blacks were the side who dominated the global game from 2011 to 2015 when they won back-to-back Rugby World Cups in New Zealand and England respectively.
A team which was initially headed by Graham Henry and handed over to Steve Hansen were sitting comfortably at the top of the global game and continued to hold an edge over their rivals for the next few years as they were the side who spent the most time at the top of World Rugby’s official rankings list.
That was the case until the Springboks were crowned Rugby World Cup champions in Japan in 2019.
Springboks are the game’s dominant force now
And since then, the Boks have become the dominant force at Test level as they followed up that World Cup triumph by also lifting the Webb Ellis Cup at the global showpiece in France in 2023.
South Africa are now firmly entrenched as World Rugby’s number one-ranked side and Barrett, who was part of New Zealand‘s World Cup-winning squad in 2015 and crowned World Rugby’s Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017, had an interesting take on how the All Blacks’ arch-rivals moved above them as the game’s dominant force.
“I think we can look back with great fondness, pride, you name it, call it what you like, it was a golden era (for New Zealand) in terms of success,” he told the DSPN podcast with Martin Devlin.
“But I also know how much the game has evolved and how much other teams, other countries have evolved and the competitiveness and the standard of rugby played across the globe now is a lot.
“Probably in that ’15 World Cup, there might’ve been four teams who could have genuinely won it, whereas now there’s anywhere around that eight number that can tip anyone up on their day when it comes to knockout footy.
“And that’s what it comes down to, is those four plus one, plus one, plus one. That’s what it is at a World Cup.”
The 34-year-old believes there has been several changes in recent years which has taken place in varying degrees and the All Blacks have been affected by it.
‘The game seemed to flow a lot better’
“I think that there’s a nice simplicity around the way that we approach the game and play the game. Back then, the game seemed to flow a lot better.
“Yes, set-piece was very important. But these days, particularly with the onus on benches rolling on and finishing games, the influences of the officials, the TMOs, everything’s a lot more, I guess in the spotlight or a lot of the games have been decided on cards or high shots or foul play.
“So, it was a lot more simple back then.
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“I even look at my (play) books back then. The detail, the content, the volume was far less compared to now. We do cover everything now.
“There’s a lot more that goes into it from ticking all of the boxes from the entire game point of view. But I just love the simplicity around how it was played back then.
“It doesn’t mean that we weren’t hitting as hard or trying as hard or we weren’t as fit or skillful.
“I just think the level across the board has improved and people use the term ‘they’ve caught up’ would like to think we’re still improving, but it’s just how competitive it is.”