Andrew Mehrtens
Everything changes now for Beauden Barrett.
There’s a lot for the young All Black to get his head around as he receives an unexpected opportunity to make his move at No 10.
Aaron Cruden’s unfortunate night out in Auckland on Saturday, and his subsequent omission from the All Blacks’ trip to Argentina and South Africa, might end up hurting twice as much.
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Not only does the incumbent first five miss two big tests, but he’s handed his closest rival a royal chance to make headway right at a time that a certain Dan Carter is making his own comeback.
The timing – as well as Cruden’s timekeeping – is a little unfortunate.
I’m not sure this would have been how Barrett envisaged getting his opportunity to start back-to-back tests at No 10 for the All Blacks, but it’s important he makes the most of it.
The first thing Barrett needs to understand is that his role completely changes. As a starter it’s all about doing his job well and playing his role within the team structure.
As the impact man he’s clearly enjoyed a role I relished towards the end of my career. Coming off the bench, it’s almost all care, no responsibility. It’s win-win – you sit and watch the game and get to come on and explode for the last 20 minutes.
But it’s a different role now for Barrett in La Plata on Sunday and Jo’burg a week later. He needs to take charge of this All Blacks team, and get them playing the way they need to, rather than imprinting his talents off the bench.
It’s a matter of being ready for opportunities as they present, but initially playing a role that’s based around organisation, communication and kicking. It’s a role we saw him grow into with the Hurricanes – now he gets his chance with the All Blacks
I’m sure Cruden will bounce back from this. I don’t think anyone would question his commitment to the black jersey, even in light of this incident.
With what the guy puts in on the field, I’ve never heard a bad word spoken about him. I’m sure this will just be a one-strike situation.
These guys do need to let off steam now and then, and though I’m not condoning what he did, he only missed a flight. It could have been a lot worse.
From a fans’ perspective Cruden is a guy who puts in everything, he’s committed and courageous, and against the backdrop of coming in for one of the most popular and respected All Blacks of all time, he’s done incredibly well.
I don’t think this will count against him long term. What he’s done the last three or four years far overshadows one bad judgment. But there are consequences and they are immediate consequences.
The upshot is he has given another guy a chance. They do say sometimes it’s harder to get out of the All Blacks than it is to get in, and giving Barrett two starts means if he does deliver it’s going to be pretty hard not to pick him afterwards.
That’s the danger Cruden now faces.
This is also an opportunity for Colin Slade. He’ll get game time, and I’m sure Hansen won’t waste the opportunity to have a look at another guy who’s right in the No 10 mix.
Though Barrett will be excited, I’m sure he’ll also be hurting a bit for his mate. This is a close group and though many are rivals for positions, the strength of these All Blacks is that they’re all pretty united for the common cause.
I realised that when I ran into all the halfbacks and 10s out in Auckland one night. It was a nice, close little group of seven mates all sitting together for dinner. That’s the sort of tightness right through this group.
In many ways Barrett needs to take the example of Cruden and Carter as a starter. When you’re the impact guy you can be a bit selfish and individual in approach, coming on to bring energy.
Starting is more about seizing moments when they come up but not necessarily creating your own. For Barrett it’s about reacting to what’s in front and not going looking for it. He’s an organiser, a communicator and he needs to give confidence to the guys around him, first and foremost.
The big question is what now for Cruden?
He can only control what he can do, and the best possible signal he can send is to get out and play for Manawatu.
Throwing himself into that for two weeks would send a strong signal to the selectors that he is a team man and he just wants to play.