Beauden Barrett is one of the most senior All Blacks in the touring squad, with Sam Whitelock and Aaron Smith yet to depart for Australia. Photo / Photosport
Beauden Barrett is one of the most senior All Blacks in the touring squad, with Sam Whitelock and Aaron Smith yet to depart for Australia. Photo / Photosport
Aside from the chance to enjoy a sustained run at first five-eighth, Beauden Barrett is intent on leading the All Blacks to a rare clean sweep over the Wallabies in Perth this weekend.
For all the All Blacks' dominance during their 19-year Bledisloe Cup stranglehold, slip-ups have been common inrecent times. Those blemishes often arrive at this very juncture, with the Bledisloe safely locked away.
Only once in the last four years – the 2018 series when notching convincing victories in Sydney, Auckland and Yokohama – have the All Blacks recorded a three-match sweep over the Wallabies.
In 2017 the All Blacks lost the third test in Brisbane and in the 2019 World Cup year the two matches were split, with the Wallabies savouring victory in Perth following Scott Barrett's red card.
That theme continued last year with the All Blacks patchy against Dave Rennie's men, recording one draw, two victories and a loss – that defeat coming in Brisbane once the Bledisloe was secured and Ian Foster made mass changes.
With Richie Mo'unga still in New Zealand, Beauden Barrett starts at first-five against the Wallabies. Photo / Photosport
Barrett's promotion to No 10 was among those, and the inability to keep complacency at bay and finish the job following a compelling previous performance is a notion not lost on the playmaker this week.
"We are aware of these games and the number of times we've failed to have a clean sweep after a successful Bledisloe Cup," Barrett said from Perth on Tuesday as the All Blacks move between their hotel bubble and training venue. "We're here competing in the Rugby Championship and we want to build into that so that starts on Sunday."
Foster informed Barrett last week Richie Mo'unga would not be making the trip to Australia initially as he joined Sam Whitelock and Aaron Smith in staying behind for their respective baby arrivals.
"There's been so many different moving parts with a number of boys at home for family reasons, for injuries, a lot of balls in the air," Barrett said. "It was quite late in the piece because it was hard to confirm squads and movement of players so it was probably last week I was made aware he wasn't travelling and a few of the other boys were in the same boat."
Mo'unga's absence opens the door for Barrett to start in the No 10 jersey in the next three tests, including two against the Pumas following the Wallabies.
At this stage, any late player arrivals from New Zealand to Queensland, the venue for the remainder of the Rugby Championship, will be subjected to two-week hotel quarantine, leaving Mo'unga, Whitelock and Smith out of contention for some time.
Beauden Barrett is one of the most senior All Blacks in the touring squad, with Sam Whitelock and Aaron Smith yet to depart for Australia. Photo / Photosport
Barrett has started three times at first-five for the All Blacks in the past two years - the last against Fiji in Dunedin - after being used predominately at fullback. This weekend is his chance to stake a claim for his preferred jersey, and as newly-appointed vice-captain alongside Brodie Retallick he's keen to assist first-time test skipper Ardie Savea.
"If it eventuates it will be a great opportunity for me. There's no hiding the fact there are a few of our experienced boys at home as well. We're seeing that as an opportunity for a few of us to step up and take the lead in certain areas.
"I've been here before and that's something I can take a lot of trust and confidence from. With Richie not being there Damian [McKenzie] comes in as another No 10 option so we'll work together to drive this team - it's not just a one-person job.
"I'm happy to be back focusing on my play at first five-eighth and hopefully there will be plenty of opportunities in the next few weeks. We understand we're away for a while, but we're not looking any further than taking on the Wallabies this Sunday. They've been sitting here waiting for us for a few weeks now so we'll be ready to go."
The All Blacks will confront a hostile atmosphere in Perth, with many among the 60,000 sell-out crowd sure to be aggrieved about the decision to delay the team's departure which forced the match to be rescheduled for a second time.
Ardie Savea will captain the All Blacks for the first time on Sunday. Photo / Photosport
Such an occasion will test the leadership group that, without Whitelock and Smith, has welcomed Codie Taylor and Anton Lienert-Brown into the mix. Despite those challenges, Barrett backed Savea to thrive in the captaincy role.
"I've seen a lot of personal growth on and off the field with Ardie. I was lucky enough to play many years at the Canes with him. What you see is a strong leader. He doesn't speak too much but when he does you listen to him. He's powerful with his words, the way he expresses his words and feelings amongst the team is powerful. He's an absolute beast on the field and that's what you want as a skipper."
