Butterflies set in when Jordie Barrett discovered he will start his second test in the midfield for the All Blacks.
Barrett has featured in 45 tests – 24 at fullback, eight on the wing. Yet second five-eighth, the position he played during his teenage yearsand has since coveted, appears his natural home.
He certainly made his mark there when thrust into the No 12 jersey at Eden Park some five weeks ago.
As the All Blacks steamrolled the Wallabies that night Barrett, with a mix of direct physicality and simplicity, delivered the most compelling performance since Ma’a Nonu long dominated the same role.
Barrett is familiar with being named in the starting All Blacks team but when his name was read out earlier this week in Cardiff, a different form of emotion bubbled inside.
“Naturally in some way there was. There was an extra bit of a knot in the gut,” Barrett said, underlining his eagerness to seize the chance.
“It’s more just excitement. I’ve never been presented with a challenge in the midfield against the northern hemisphere teams. We know how tough it is to come and play up here. In some ways you’re asked to do a whole lot more but I’ll be trying to keep it simple and in some ways do a whole lot less.
“I loved the game at Eden Park but it’s a long time ago now. This is a fresh opportunity against a different beast on their home ground. It presents a different opportunity that I haven’t experienced in my career before so it’s exciting.”
Midfield partner Rieko Ioane, reflecting on the last time he played alongside Barrett in the 40-14 victory against the Wallabies, offered a telling insight into the strength of their fresh midfield partnership.
“Jordie loves the physicality and he brings those skills from fullback so it’s being able to complement each other,” Ioane said. “You saw him against Aussie. Him and I joked we might need a crowbar to get the ball off him this game. The way he plays, I love his style and it suits my style as well. If you’ve got good up-front punch, it makes my job to organise and set our outsides alight a lot easier.”
David Havili on attack against the Wallabies last year. Photo / Photosport
Barrett’s selection at second-five represents a significant shift for the All Blacks. His midfield switch at Eden Park was forced, with David Havili and Quinn Tupaea injured the previous week in Melbourne and the All Blacks not ready to hand Roger Tuivasa-Sheck the starting role.
For Wales this week, Barrett has trumped the fit again Havili for the start.
During the Rugby Championship the All Blacks displayed staunch faith in the Havili-Ioane midfield combination. That pairing combined for six of this year’s 10 tests, with Havili unavailable due to injury on three of the other four occasions, while he came off the bench in Japan last week.
Barrett’s performance against the Wallabies clearly converted All Blacks coach Ian Foster about his credentials as a bona fide test 12. This week offers another chance to cement that status opposite Wales midfielders Nick Tompkins and the sizeable George North.
“I said at the time it certainly swayed our thinking,” Foster said. “We’d factored him in there. He played at 12 the week before when we had the injuries. We enjoyed what he did there. We know he’s really competent at 12 and we’ve been inserting him there at trainings right throughout the year.
“Sometimes the opportunity knocks in different ways and the key thing is he went and took it. This is a reflection that we think he deserves a reward for that performance.”
Foster did, however, leave the door ajar for Havili to return to the starting second-five role on this three test northern tour.
“Every jersey is contestable. We stated at the start we wanted to build some combinations during the Rugby Championship. I think we did that. We were consistent and that was important for us to get confidence in what we were doing.
“Injuries and circumstances open doors for someone else and when they take it it’s a matter of revisiting your thinking. You’ve got to be flexible. I don’t think it shows a change in direction because we were delighted where David finished up and you’ll see him back in that jersey at some point.”
Aside from his frame, strength and distribution abilities, the beauty of Barrett’s selection at 12 is it gives the All Blacks backline its best balance. It allows brother Beauden to start at fullback, where he can play with inherent freedom, act as a secondary playmaker and inject himself into the line, and it gives consistent go forward which should allow Richie Mo’unga desired time and space.
Codie Taylor’s promotion to start at hooker over Samisoni Taukei’aho - with Foster saying this was a rotational decision - and Brad Weber’s injection on the bench, after joining the squad following Folau Fakatava’s season-ending knee injury, are the other notable elements as the All Blacks return to their first choice team.
Dalton Papalii starts at No 7 for the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport
Foster also confirmed Will Jordan will play no further part this year as he continues to recover from an inner ear issue.
With skipper Sam Cane ruled out for the year with a broken cheekbone against Japan, Blues captain Dalton Papalii slots into the openside role after shining brightly against Wales and Ireland at this same stage last year.
“He played really well up here. It’s a big opportunity for Dalton,” Foster said. “It’s disappointing to lose Sam. With his disruptive year last year he was starting to build this season so it’s frustrating for him. It opens the door to Dalton, and everything he’s done with us has been quality. I know he’s pretty excited about that.”
Wales have, meanwhile, handed 22-year-old Rio Dyer his debut on the left wing in a team featuring former Auckland, Blues and Chiefs playmaker Gareth Anscombe’s return to first-five.
1. Gareth Thomas, 2. Ken Owens, 3. Tomas Francis, 4. Will Rowlands, 5. Adam Beard, 6. Justin Tipuric, 7. Tommy Reffell, 8. Taulupe Faletau, 9. Tomos Williams, 10. Gareth Anscombe, 11. Rio Dyer, 12. Nick Tompkins, 13. George North, 14. Louis Rees-Zammit, 15. Leigh Halfpenny
Replacements: 16. Ryan Elias, 17. Nicky Smith, 18. Dillon Lewis, 19. Alun Wyn Jones, 20. Christ Tshiunza, 21. Kieran Hardy, 22. Rhys Priestland, 23. Owen Watkin.
