Jordie Barrett’s positional preference adds weight to Leinster ‘galactico’ claim and spells bad news for two Ireland stars
All Blacks star Jordie Barrett and an insert of Leinster coach Leo Cullen.
All Blacks back Jordie Barrett is looking to ditch his ‘jack of all trades’ tag and specialise, which spells bad news for two of Leinster’s star men.
The 27-year-old made an immediate impact on debut for Leinster, assisting and scoring a try in the first 15 minutes after coming off the bench in the Investec Champions Cup match against Bristol Bears.
Much of the debate pre-Barrett’s arrival centred around how he would fit into the Leinster backline, with the All Blacks star capable of playing fly-half, full-back, wing and both centre positions with relative ease.
Against Bristol, he came on for starting number 15 Ciaran Frawley, resulting in a backline shuffle with Garry Ringrose shifting to the wing, Jordan Larmour to full-back and Robbie Henshaw moving to outside centre with Barrett slotting into the number 12 role.
Jordie Barrett’s position preference
The New Zealander now looks set to be elevated into the starting XV for his second cap in round two of the Champions Cup against Clermont with Frawley, Hugo Keenan, James Lowe and Jamie Osborne all set to miss the clash.
The value of versatility continues to increase and, despite moving around the All Blacks and Hurricanes backlines over the years, he is eager to focus his attention on becoming more of a specialist.
“In some ways I was a bit of a jack of all trades and master of none for a number of years there, but I feel like it’s probably stood me in great stead for where I am at the moment,” he told reporters this week.
“I feel like I’ve been around forever, but I’m 27 and I feel like my best rugby is ahead of me, which is positive – hence the reason to try to come up here at this point in my career.
“But playing even in Test matches, left wing, right wing – 10 once – plenty of 15 and 12 gives you a good perspective and understanding of what the guy inside you demands or needs out on the pitch, and same with other guys in similar positions.
“So, I guess when you’re trying to solidify yourself in one position, whether you’re 12 or full back. It gives you a great understanding of what your wingers need, or what your 10 needs or what your nine needs. So feel like I’m in a position now where I understand the game pretty deeply, and hopefully, it puts me in good stead for the rest of my career.”
While Barrett mentioned full-back, he has sparingly featured in that position for New Zealand and the Hurricanes in recent seasons, almost solely playing the centres.
Jordie Barrett: ‘I was gutted when South Africa left Super Rugby’
Leinster’s depth
However, the centres are rather well-stocked for Leinster with Ireland internationals Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw and Jamie Osborne at Leo Cullen’s disposal with Frawley also capable of filling the inside centre role. Not to forget the likes of Jimmy and Tommy O’Brien.
Frawley, Osborne and Jimmy O’Brien are comfortable at full-back too with further options in Larmour and Keenan.
While Barrett’s arrival at Leinster was met with glee from supporters, it has garnered a bit of resentment from fellow Irish provincial supporters, particularly after Munster lost both Antoine Frisch and RG Snyman.
IRFU policy around non-Irish qualified players has also caused a stir in previous seasons with Ulster losing Ruan Pienaar when Jamison Gibson-Park signed for Leinster. This added to the speculation of where Barrett would play as Munster already had New Zealand centre Alex Nankivell on their books.
Cullen hits back
Barrett and Snyman featured in last year’s Rugby World Cup final and both came off the bench for Leinster against Bristol with many in the pre-match build-up likening the current team to the Real Madrid ‘galacticos’.
While Cullen and his staff aren’t hiding from the fact that they spent big this season, he did take umbrage when asked if he’d ever picked a stronger bench than the one that saw Bristol off with Ireland captain Caelan Doris joining Snyman and Barrett amongst the replacements.
“I don’t know how you measure that, it’s impossible,” he said.
“I couldn’t say, you can’t really answer that question.
“What we’ve done is that the majority of the guys are homegrown, they come through the academy system. There’s a huge amount of time and effort gone in to make sure we get the best out of lads.
He added: “We’re able to bring in a few players from overseas but we’re so constrained in what we actually can bring in so we spend a hell of a lot of time trying to develop what we have in our own back yard.”
Cullen’s comments are certainly valid but one cannot hide from the fact that very few, perhaps only Toulouse, are able to stockpile the kind of talent Leinster can before adding a player of Barrett’s quality.
The fact the New Zealander also wants to press for a position where Leinster have multiple Ireland internationals will also leave a sour taste the mouths of rival fans.
