Rugby Championship: Beauden Barrett embracing mentor role with All Blacks rookies

Beauden Barrett has embraced his role as a mentor within the All Blacks' squad. Photo / Getty Images

In the All Blacks environment, there are no dumb questions. That was the message from veteran first five-eighth Beauden Barrett for the team's rookies in Argentina this week.

The All Blacks will field a relatively inexperience team against Argentina on Sunday morning (NZ time), with five players in line for their first test caps.

The new members of the squad weren't wasting any time in tapping into the wealth of information, and Barrett said they seemed to be more than willing to speak up.

"It's a lot easier [to find your voice] than it used to be," he said. "The young guys are encouraged to be themselves, there's no such thing as a dumb question – if you need to know something you have to have the courage to just ask. It's better to ask the question than to go out there and not be."

Barrett had taken on a mentoring role with young first five-eighth Josh Ioane, who was selected in the All Blacks for the first time after an impressive season with the Highlanders.

Josh Ioane could make his test debut this weekend. Photo / Getty Images

The pair have been roommates while in Argentina, and the young No10 was making the most of the opportunity to pick Barrett's brain.

"He's a great kid with a lot of potential. He's got a good memory; he remembers things a lot quicker than I do so he's learning pretty quickly.

"It's good to have those rugby conversations. Obviously you have to have the balance to switch on and off, we're certainly getting that."

Ioane is in line for his All Blacks debut against the Pumas on Sunday, named on the bench alongside fellow test rookies Atu Moli, Braydon Ennor and Luke Jacobson, while Sevu Reece will make his debut on the right wing.

It's an All Blacks side missing more than 400 test caps worth of experience with a number of players left in New Zealand to rest after the long Super Rugby season, many of whom will be in contention for the World Cup squad. Brodie Retallick was quick to remind media in Argentina that this weekend's squad had one specific goal in mind.

"This is not a World Cup team for New Zealand. We're here to do one job – to play as best we can in the Rugby Championship; obviously we have goals within that.

"The World Cup is in the back of most people's minds, I'm sure, but it's not front and foremost. We're all about this week and we'll go week by week until the squad's announced."