The option Jordie Barrett is ‘certainly not closing off’ despite ‘not speaking about it’ with the All Blacks
Jordie Barrett in action and the All Blacks star competing for a high ball.
Jordie Barrett has not completely ruled out taking on the full-back role for the All Blacks after covering both 12 and 15 for the Hurricanes this season.
The 29-year-old has cemented himself as one of the world’s best inside centres over the past few years, a role he switched to at Test level in 2022.
However, New Zealand have had issues finding that correct backline balance since the Rugby World Cup with particular emphasis coming on the aerial game.
All Blacks full-back conundrum
Will Jordan was very much the first choice 15 under Scott Robertson but, when moving the pieces around, either Damian McKenzie, Ruben Love or Beauden Barrett had stints there.
New All Blacks boss Dave Rennie has opted for McKenzie in his first two games in charge, but the Chiefs star was not tested by France under the high ball.
Some fans and pundits would therefore like to see Jordie Barrett return to full-back given his skills in the air, but that doesn’t appear to be in Rennie’s thoughts at the moment.
“We haven’t really spoken about it in here as such but I’ve spent the whole year at the Hurricanes training at 12 and 15,” Barrett told Sport Nation when asked if he would consider a positional switch.
“There would have been half-a-dozen games where I would have covered full-back for the last half-an-hour.
“It’s certainly not an option I’m closing off, I’m trying to play both as well as I can and just continue each week to train the skill sets that need to fit that job.
“Last weekend I went back to full-back a couple of times to catch a couple of high balls, so it’s pretty fluid.
“I’m just trying to play the best I can at 12 and if I need to play full-back, I play full-back.”
Mike Blair’s influence
That debate might be closed if the All Blacks continue to play in the manner they did against France, which is the most free-flowing they have been since the conclusion of the 2023 World Cup.
Rennie is a specialist in that area and he has been joined by Scotsman Mike Blair, who was the All Blacks head coach’s right-hand man when it came to attack at Kobe Steelers.
“It’s a small sample size but it’s been good. He’s (Blair) been nice and positive, fresh ideas and a fearless notion around attack, and in some ways it’s pretty similar to the way we try to do things at the Hurricanes,” Barrett said.
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
“It’s similar attacking structures, which was all for people to see last Saturday, and just trying to use our big boys right across the park.
“Use the width, extra passes, not get too worried about the goal-line behind us when it comes to dictating our decisions around pressure and kicking.
“We’ll need to keep growing it because as you know there’s a perceived risk within that system but there’s also a whole lot more opportunities that we’re creating too.”
READ MORE: Dave Rennie’s ‘interesting’ verdict on Nations Championship which has ‘got a bit of merit’
