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Dane Coles' 'p*ssed off' honest reaction to Beauden Barrett's Blues move
By Ned Lester
It's not often an All Black switches allegiances within Super Rugby and prior to 2019, it was unheard of for a two-time World Player of the Year to make a move.
Beauden Barrett's move from the windy capital to the city of sails left the hearts of Wellingtonians scarred. The team's influential star had brought the city a Super Rugby championship and promised more sparkling success through his sublime play and leadership.
The unexpected announcement of Barrett's move hit everyone, including his teammates by surprise. Dane Coles had played alongside Barrett for years and was understandably fond of the competitive core that had been established at the Hurricanes.
"I was pissed off to be fair," Coles told Sky Sport. "He knows that. People are like 'Do you hate him?' I don't hate him. People need to understand we've played over 100 games together. We wanted to keep these people together and that's just sport, you care about your mate and you want to play with your mate.
"I was gutted, he knew that but it was never personal, it's just the way I'm wired. I didn't want him to go. No way. Baz (Barrett) is a legend, he's a legend of our 'Canes club.
"When you put those feelings aside and you can see why he moved, it was for family reasons, it was to move for his wife, I completely understand. And our relationship has not deteriorated because he plays for the Blues.
"But we were all gutted, people were lying if they didn't say they're bloody pissed off.
"We were in the All Black environment and when I'd see him I'd walk the other way. Like 'I'm not ready to talk to you Baz'. Once we cleared the air it was sweet as."
Coles had a ry grin and a chuckle revisiting the story. The two players have since concluded their Super Rugby careers, with Coles' Hurricanes eliminated by the Brumbies in the quarter-final and Barrett's Blues dismantled by the Crusaders in the semi-final.
While an uneasy point of the past, Barrett's move may well provide a glimpse at the future of Super Rugby. Once the competition's commission is established, innovations could see a more fluid player market and a change to eligibility laws could pave the way for All Blacks representing Australian or Pasifika teams.
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Latest Comments
Im guessing you never lived in NZ under r dern and red commie labour
We were forced and in some cases mandated to take the V - I know of 7 people who D taking it and many with untold injuries - Minimium 12 K D in NZ taking it - it was never safe never effective never worked just Maimed and K'd qe were close to being thrown into quarantine camps C was only a rebranded Flu
Oz Govt MOH have completed their c commission - they admit they never had the proveable data to make justify their statements and decisions & that the public will never accept it ever happening again - they fired rubber B into peaceful protestors Ardern is hated here ( 1 M patriots forced her out ) - bloomfield her side kick 2IC dr D excempted 11k from taking it - we (not u) know who they were the Pol and Public servants who knew they were fatal - A zeneca pulled it off the market due 2 excess D's - Japan banned them - called them stupid poison -
P M Shinzo Abe opposed the v and sent over a million doses back - because of that he was murdered - So were the heads of several African nations who also opposed the fake v they were k'd and their replacements allowed their countries to be swamped with them - C was V wasnt bought in fo C - C was bought in for the V
Im not here to talk politics but if u want to I can all day especially to a RED neck commie like you - whats it going to be Rugby or Politics or mud slinging give me something to think about - surprise me with something meaty - just not word salad
Go to commentsIt doesn’t matter how good your rugby team is, at the highest level you are going to have momentum swings in games.
Wales having a good ten minute period next week- and they will- doesn’t mean the Boks will be playing poorly.
It’s if you can make the most of it when you have the momentum. And the current group of springboks do enough when they create enough, as great teams do.
For comparison, the All Blacks played their best game of the year against France.
Still lost. And it’s only France’s second game so they aren’t firing at 100% yet.
The ABs haven’t got to that ruthless stage that the springboks are at yet.
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