Beauden Barrett makes a break with Richie Mo'unga in support. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Beauden Barrett makes a break with Richie Mo'unga in support. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
OPINION:
There's a growing sense that the Richie Mo'unga-Beauden Barrett play-making axis may in fact have infinite potential.
What was once dubbed an experiment – perhaps even ill-founded and illogical – is beginning to induce more confidence than concern.
At Eden Park, in Bledisloe two, there was an ease andflow about the All Blacks that suggested Barrett and Mo'unga are finally understanding their respective roles in the current set-up.
If Barrett was guilty at first of popping into Mo'unga's space once too often, he no longer is. The desire to control, dictate and be the primary voice has lessened within Barrett and a relationship that was growing towards the end of the World Cup, took a quantum leap in Auckland 10 days ago.
Now they seem to instinctively know where they should be and how they should combine with one another. There's plenty of room yet for the partnership to grow, to become more potent and intuitive but it has certainly reached the point where nobody now could label it a bad idea.
New Zealand's Beauden Barrett. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Having two play-makers on the field now feels like it is exactly the right thing to deepen the All Blacks' attacking options which for a period in 2017 and 2018, looked limited and clunky.
Whatever pain has been incurred to reach the point of re-positioning Barrett at fullback to accommodate Mo'unga at No 10, has been worth it and the former needs to be fully acknowledged for the way he has handled what couldn't have been an easy transition.
There's never been any public angst from Barrett about having to vacate his favoured role. He's never said anything remotely negative about the switch or given even the vaguest hint he's been unhappy about it.
When he was told last year before the match against South Africa in Wellington that he'd be playing at fullback, he nodded, said okay and got on with it.
Former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen suggested that Barrett had no other choice but to take the news with such good grace, but that's not actually true.
Beauden Barrett makes a break with Richie Mo'unga in support. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Barrett could easily have been disruptive and difficult about things. He could just as easily, or less dramatically and obviously been a quiet resistor – seemingly okay with the move but secretly working against it and plotting a way to make it fail.
Plenty of big name play-makers in other teams have thrown monumental tantrums when they haven't been given what they wanted. What they felt they deserved.
Look at the problems Australia used to have with James O'Connor, Kurtley Beale and Quade Cooper. There was a period between 2010 and 2014 when they were seemingly never content, never willing to work for the team or accept what they didn't like.
Danny Cipriani in England has acted out and caused ample problems when decisions haven't pleased him and the South Africans have had to work hard on their relationship with the uber talented Frans Steyn who has never quite given the impression he's fully committed to the Springboks cause.
Scotland saw how temperamental play-makers can be this year when Finn Russell, arguably the most gifted No 10 in Europe at the moment, fell out with coach Gregor Townsend and the two couldn't patch it up.
Barrett, though, has not only accepted a role he never coveted, but he's thrived in it and that is the ultimate proof that he's set aside his ego and personal needs and placed them behind those of the team.
Beauden Barrett of the All Blacks enjoys the win during the Bledisloe Cup match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the Australian Wallabies. Photo / Getty Images.
And it can't have been easy to accept that after aspiring for four years to be the All Blacks No 10, Barrett finally fulfilled his dream in 2016, was World Player of the year twice in succession and nominated a third time in 2018 and then early in 2019 told he would be going to the World Cup as a fullback.
It must have been a crushing blow and indeed it must have felt like an unjust and cruel reward for his three years of excellence in such a difficult position.
Yet not a peep of discontent from Barrett. Not a grumble, nor a moan or even a single bad word and he's in Sydney now, seemingly relaxed, happy and excited about being given another chance to tighten the partnership with Mo'unga this Saturday.
Head coach Ian Foster has said he expects to see Barrett feature in the No 10 jersey at some stage in the near future but it probably won't be in Sydney.
He'll have to wait, which won't be a problem as Barrett is a genuine fan of the dual play-making system and as happy to be playing fullback for the All Blacks as he was No 10.
