Have we all forgotten about Beauden Barrett at his best? Photo / Getty
Have we all forgotten about Beauden Barrett at his best? Photo / Getty
Beauden Barrett should be baffled. Maybe he was, quietly, before his mind turned to Bledisloe One in Sydney on Saturday night.
It is doubtful if a glorious star has ever fallen so quick in Kiwi sport.
The brilliant Barrett has suddenly gone from the Golden One to the holder of second-placed silver. Maybe it is down to the age of short attention spans.
New public darling Richie Mo'unga's impressive dance behind the mighty Crusaders pack is good enough to propel him past Barrett into the All Black starters if a new public mood is to be believed, although it is hard to truly gauge.
The real or imagined All Black No 10 contest is growing into the most vigorous selection debate since Andrew Mehrtens and Carlos Spencer were strutting their stuff, although without that delightful anti-Auckland element.
The supposed groundswell for Mo'unga is certainly loud enough for Barrett to hear. Barrett must scratch his head, and wonder why others feel it has all gone wrong.
While I love the debate, it's also an odd business in the cold light of day, just a year out from the World Cup.
Barrett was undisputed as the best player in the world for two years, and the disputed champ last year. The applause sure has died quickly.
One troubled season behind a dysfunctional Hurricanes pack, the odd test battle, and Barrett is suddenly chopped liver.
Those preparing the food processor included the Crusaders assistant coach Ronan O'Gara, who suggested fairly mildly that Barrett might flip back to fullback so his man Mo'unga could get a shot at being the All Black No 10.
These sort of switches happen during test matches anyway – but rest assured that Ireland's O'Gara will not be so flippant about an established star should he ever take charge of his own national team.
As to be expected, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen backed his current No 10 with the respect he deserves, support that will also draw the best out of him.
In terms of building a World Cup side, one with options and quality injury cover, Mo'unga and/or Damian McKenzie need major action down the line. But going into the Rugby Championship, Barrett deserves to be regarded as The Man, whatever may lie ahead.
First five-eighths is rugby's version of the quarterback. What O'Gara-types overlook is that switching Barrett from 10 to 15 is not like getting an outside back to swap wings.
Don't put doubt in Barrett's mind, reduce his mana. Work with what you've got in this case, because the All Blacks already have an exceptional and battle-hardened No 10 with a lot of very recent brilliance on the board.
It will be fascinating to see how Barrett responds to this abrupt crisis of confidence in him from a short-memory public.
Interestingly, Barrett told an author recently that the rush to harsh judgment was hurting New Zealand rugby careers and whether you agree with his "tall poppy" claims or not – and I certainly don't – it left the impression of a player not impervious to how he is perceived.
You wonder, even, if it might influence his thinking over big-money overseas offers post-World Cup. This apparent massive public shift emphasises how life moves on quickly, that you never know what is around the corner. Hero today, gone tomorrow.
The free-wheeling Barrett has been an amazing light on the world rugby stage – innovative, daring, incredibly skilful, and often victorious for franchise and country. Suggesting the wheels are already off for the 27-year-old is premature.
Barrett might need the odd adjustment, as many players do. All the great ones keep evolving, and he hasn't had the ball on a string for a while.
I'll admit to being a Barrett Super Fan, a true believer, who will have trouble letting go. That's what sport is about I suppose.
But calls to drop him from No 10 at this point? He deserves more grace than that, whatever the perceived form book, and that's how he will surely see it.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck...running wild against the Knights last week. Photo / Photsport
Roger the ultimate dodger
Warriors league fullback and captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has the most extraordinary sidestep-shuffle.
Faced with closely knit defensive lines, he sometimes squirts through non-existent gaps with hardly a hand laid on him. Never seen anything like it.
Phil Bennett, the old Welsh rugby star, had a wonderful sidestep. Watching the series of steps he threw near his posts to beat three All Black forwards and start the famous Barbarians try against the 1972/73 tourists can still send a shiver down the spine.
It is my favourite moment by an individual in all of rugby, for its skill and daring and also for how it inspired teammates who took up the cause in a never-to-be-forgotten burst up the field.
The man who hoofed the ball to Bennett on that glorious day in Cardiff, the great All Blacks wing Bryan Williams, had this country's most famous sidestep.
Williams – who played league as a kid – once told me that he got the timing and feel for his extravagant sidestep by mimicking how athletes perform the triple jump.
The difference with Tuivasa-Sheck is that he uses a flourish of little steps, constantly. It is not only a unique and wonderful sight, but must require remarkable stamina.
