Beauden Barrett “should have never been sort of spoken to like that”, says Mils Muliaina, who played 100 Tests for the All Blacks.
Mils Muliaina had heard enough about Beauden Barrett.
“He was awesome, and to be fair, there’s been a lot of heat on Beauden Barrett, but what people don’t see is the experience he brings and now he scores two tries and he catapults himself back to where he actually was when he should have never been sort of spoken to like that.”
Muliaina, a 2011 World Cup winner, said it on Sky Sport NZ’s The Breakdown on Sunday 18 October. Kirstie Stanway hosted. The night before, the All Blacks had beaten the Wallabies 43-21 at Accor Stadium.
Barrett, at full-back, earned a 9 out of 10 for his two tries. But the best case for him was made on a try he did not score.
Was Beauden Barrett written off too early this year? Have your say in the comments.
Two tries, and the second one ended the contest
Peter Lakai’s break made the first, on 17 minutes.
The second was Barrett on his own. Max Jorgensen threw a pass on the 40th minute, Barrett read it early and ran 70 metres. It was 36-7 at half-time.
Muliaina did not say who had done the speaking he objected to. He did not need to. Barrett’s year had come with a running argument about where he fits, and whether he still does.
The try Beauden Barrett did not score
Before Muliaina spoke, Brad Weber had taken the panel to the video wall. Weber is a former All Blacks halfback who played alongside Damian McKenzie at the Chiefs. He picked Josh Moorby’s opening try on 12 minutes.
“…last night I thought it was the best iteration with Beauden Barrett filling in when needed. He wasn’t getting in Damian McKenzie’s pocket, he wasn’t making life tough for him. So if we just look at the vision from the very first try, it’s a great example of these two working together.”
Then he walked through it, one passage of play, start to finish.
“Damian makes a half break and an offload. So Beauden Barrett recognises that he’s needed to step up into that first receiver role, which he does really well, and they put Codie Taylor away. Now in the same passage of play, maybe three or four phases later, Beauden’s now pushed three out. Goes to Will Jordan, who’s in at second receiver, and Damian’s creating that hole out the back.”
“Then once again, three or four phases later, those boys have worked around. Damian’s back into first receiver. He goes across the face of Beauden Barrett and the most dangerous pass in the game, the bounce pass, works perfectly for Josh Moorby.”
Three different jobs for one full-back. In one move.
| Stage of the move | Where Barrett stands | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| After McKenzie’s half-break and offload | First receiver | Barrett steps up and Codie Taylor is put away |
| Three or four phases later | Three out | The ball goes to Jordan at second receiver, with McKenzie running out the back |
| Three or four phases after that | Outside McKenzie | McKenzie is back at first receiver and his bounce pass goes across Barrett’s face to Moorby |
Source: Brad Weber’s breakdown of the move at the video wall on The Breakdown, Sky Sport NZ.
What to watch the next time McKenzie breaks the line
The tell is on the phase after McKenzie carries.
A No 10 who makes a half-break is on the floor or out of position for the next ruck. Most sides wait for him. The ball goes slowly, or a forward stands in at first receiver and the shape goes flat.
New Zealand do not wait. Barrett arrives at first receiver from full-back, and the attack keeps its speed.
The second stage is the subtle one. Barrett moves three out and McKenzie runs a line behind him, so the defence has two playmakers to track. On the third stage they swap back, and Barrett becomes the man the bounce pass goes past.
That is the point Weber was making with “pocket”. Two playmakers on one side of a ruck usually crowd each other. Here each one stood where the other was not.
So the case for Barrett in Sydney came from a job, not from a number on his back. Watch the first ruck after a McKenzie break against Scotland on Saturday 7 November. If Barrett is standing at first receiver, the plan is still on.
Weber says the Blues used him wrong
Weber went further later in the show.
“…speaking about Beauden Barrett specifically, clearly the way that he was being used at the Blues, for example, didn’t play to his strengths… you could tell he was a player not playing with much confidence in those first couple of games when he was back in the All Black environment… an attacking structure that really suits him, and now it looks like he’s got his confidence back.”
Weber’s claim is that the player never left. The system around him changed.
A full-back given licence to step into first receiver looks very different from one asked to run a side from 10 every week.
Muliaina was careful about the coaches
Muliaina tied the change to belief from the top. He also chose his words.
“I think it’s amazing how much confidence that you get in yourself when your coach believes in you. I’m not saying that’s not what happened in the previous coaching environment, but I’m saying Damian McKenzie is now just a different player. He’s taking everything by the scruff. You look at Beauden Barrett, pressure on him in terms of his performance, but his coach has come out all the time and he’s sort of backing him. He performs.”
Note the hedge in the second sentence. Muliaina did not accuse anyone. His point is narrower: under pressure, Barrett has had public backing from Dave Rennie.
So who is the All Blacks 10?
Stanway asked Weber whether McKenzie is now an All Blacks 10 or a 15.
“Well, I think he’s an All Blacks 10. But what I will say that I think what Dave Rennie and co have done really well is they clearly just want their 15 best players on the field. They don’t necessarily care exactly what positions those guys are in.”
That answer is the whole Barrett argument in two sentences.
If Rennie picks his 15 best players and sorts the jerseys out later, Barrett’s debate about 10 or 15 stops mattering. He is in the side, and in Sydney he stepped in at first receiver the moment McKenzie needed him.
Muliaina is right. The heat on Beauden Barrett was about how he was being used. It said very little about what he has left.
The All Blacks’ channel has the full episode of The Breakdown.
Your turn: written off, or misused?
Two tries and a 9 out of 10 in Sydney. Muliaina says the criticism should never have happened. Weber says the Blues used him in the wrong way.
Was Barrett ever out of form, or just out of position? One word below.
Frequently asked
How many tries did Beauden Barrett score against the Wallabies in Sydney?
Two, on 17 and 40 minutes. The second was a 70-metre intercept of Max Jorgensen’s pass that made it 36-7 at half-time. New Zealand won 43-21.
What did Mils Muliaina say about Beauden Barrett?
On The Breakdown on Sunday 18 October, he said there had been “a lot of heat” on Barrett and that he “should have never been sort of spoken to like that”.
What role did Beauden Barrett play in Josh Moorby’s try?
Brad Weber showed that Barrett stepped up to first receiver after McKenzie’s half-break, then moved three out, and was the decoy for McKenzie’s bounce pass to Moorby.
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