All Blacks boss Ian Foster's verdict on Jordie Barrett's midfield move
All Blacks head coach Ian Foster has delivered his verdict on the move from fullback to second-five by Hurricanes star Jordie Barrett.
Barrett has garnered plenty of attention in recent weeks after having been selected in the midfield by Hurricanes boss Jason Holland in their 30-29 Super Rugby Pacific defeat to the Chiefs last Sunday.
The match was the first the 25-year-old utility back - who can play anywhere in the backline bar halfback - had played in the position since the 2019 Super Rugby season, and he has again been picked to play there against the Crusaders on Saturday.
Barrett's move, which has been viewed by many as a hint as to where he will play in future years, comes after he shone for the All Blacks in 2021 and ended last season's test campaign as New Zealand's first-choice fullback.
With that in mind, the decision to pick Barrett as a second-five - which was his primary position while playing for Canterbury and the New Zealand U20 side early in his career - has been a point of interest among onlookers.
One of those who has taken note of Barrett's positional switch is Foster, who told the New Zealand Herald that while he is invested in how Holland is selecting his star man, that hasn't impacted his own plans for Barrett in the All Blacks set-up.
"Has it piqued my interest? I'm always interested in what teams are doing. Jordie and I have spoken about it," Foster said. "If it's the right thing for the team we understand that but it probably doesn't change our plans too much."
Those comments suggest Foster will continue to favour Barrett at fullback - where his height, impressive aerial attributes and kicking ability flourished in test rugby last year - for the foreseeable future.
Those qualities weren't as prominent in Barrett's first outing at second-five against the Chiefs, as his impact with ball in hand was limited, although he provided plenty of power defensively.
However, Foster told the New Zealand Herald that he believes Barrett's skillset remains best-suited to the fullback role, particularly against European teams.
"He goal-kicked so well, his high-ball stuff is very good; he's got a strong kicking game and they were things he was able to exhibit through the year," Foster said.
"Particularly when you get to the Northern Hemisphere style you have to have the ability to deal with that high ball and make sure you've got a strong kicking game in your back three.
"He ticked those boxes. He wasn't at his best against France but the rest of the tour I thought he was one of our success stories."
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Hi Nick. Thanks for your +++ ongoing analysis. Re Vunivalu, He’s been benched recently and it will be interesting to see what Kiss does with him as we enter the backend of SRP. I’m still not sold.
Go to commentsIn the fine tradition of Irish rugby, Leinster cheat well and for some reason only known to whoever referees them, they are allowed to get away with it every single game. If teams have not got the physicality up front to stop them getting the ball, they will win every single game. They take out players beyond the ruck and often hold them on the ground. Those that are beyond the ruck and therefore offside, hover there to cause distraction but also to join the next ruck from the side thereby stopping the jackal. The lineout prior to the second try on Saturday. 3 Leinster players left the lineout before the ball was thrown and were driving the maul as soon as the player hit the ground and thereby getting that valuable momentum. They scrummage illegally, with the looshead turning in to stop the opposing tighthead from pushing straight and making it uncomfortable for the hooker. The tighthead takes a step and tries to get his opposite loosehead to drop the bind. Flankers often ‘move up’ and actually bind on the prop and not remain bound to the second row. It does cause chaos and is done quickly and efficiently so that referees are blinded by the illegal tactics. I am surprised opposition coaches when they meet referees before games don’t mention it. I am also surprised that they do not go to the referees group and ask them to look at the tactics used and referee them properly. If they are the better team and win, fair play but a lot of their momentum is gained illegally and therefore it is not a level playing field.
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