Ex-All Black claims Scott Robertson has a plan for Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie in 2025 which will not ‘feel right’ for the fans
Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie chatting during Test and All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson.
Scott Robertson will not have a first and second choice fly-half this year and will instead pick either Beauden Barrett or Damian McKenzie depending on the opposition.
That is according to former All Black James Parsons, who believes that the head coach will decide week-by-week which player gets the nod for the 10 shirt.
In 2024, Robertson backed McKenzie for the fly-half role, but his mixed form led to Barrett becoming the person in possession of the jersey by the end of the campaign.
Trying to impress for France series
They have now been looking to put their best foot forward in Super Rugby Pacific ahead of the 2025 Test season, which kicks off with a three-Test series against France in July.
Barrett got the better of the duel when they went head-to-head in the Blues’ play-off victory over the Chiefs, leading some to suggest that the battle is done and dusted, but Parsons insists that it is not as simple as that.
“Damian McKenzie and Beauden Barrett have different strengths and weaknesses, and how that fits for that week, I think that’s something we will have to get used to,” he said on the Aotearoa Rugby Pod.
“It doesn’t feel right because we’ve had the history of the Dan Carters and the Andrew Mehrtens, Grant Fox.”
Mehrtens and Carlos Spencer did compete for the All Blacks fly-half shirt, but Parsons felt it was only “to a point” and that “through that 1995 [period] to whenever Spencer took the Blues by storm, it’s always been pretty solidified at 10.”
The former Blues forward then added on the McKenzie and Barrett situation: “I still think they’ve got a lot to offer – both of them. You wouldn’t have done the deals that they’ve done without these coaches knowing and having a plan in and around these two.
“I don’t think it’s as simple as, ‘that’s it for the season’. I think we’ve tried to do that in previous seasons and that’s when it gets us in trouble because players dip in form and so forth.
“There is opposition that will suit both players and I think we will see that still.”
Form comparisons of McKenzie and Barrett in 2025
McKenzie has arguably been the form back in Super Rugby this season, but Barrett has also played extremely well and when the pressure came on it was the latter who handled it better.
The performances of the Blues star have perhaps gone slightly under the radar this year, particularly with the Auckland outfit struggling for the majority of 2025, but Parsons has been impressed by what he has seen from the 34-year-old.
“The only game I feel this season – when he’s been available – where he’s been quiet is the Moana Pasifika game at North Harbour Stadium, where most of the Blues side would admit they had an off night,” he said.
“Other than that, even the game they lost against the Crusaders when James O’Connor kicked the winning penalty goal, he was a big catalyst in that.
“We know the Brumbies game (Blues letting slip a 17-7 half-time lead after Barrett went off injured) and then the last few weeks he’s been a big part of why they’ve been so strong.
“I still think his weapon is his turn of pace, his ability to leave defenders. If he doesn’t leave defenders, he commits defenders which creates space and time for other people, and the chip and chase game is definitely still there.”
