Shifting Jordie Barrett to second-five and injecting brother Beauden at fullback is one option for Ian Foster this week. Photosport
Shifting Jordie Barrett to second-five and injecting brother Beauden at fullback is one option for Ian Foster this week. Photosport
OPINION
The All Blacks of 2022 have been mentally shaped by adversity, but physically formed by serendipity – a pattern that could continue in the remaining tests of the year following a spate of injury carnage in Melbourne last Thursday.
A season-ending knee injury inflicted upon Quinn Tupaea and DavidHavili's failed HIA test has left the All Blacks staring at an enforced midfield reshuffle this week.
The options it would seem are two: promote the raw but exciting Roger Tuivasa-Sheck to the No 12 jersey, or play a more extensive game of musical chairs by shifting Jordie Barrett to second-five and injecting brother Beauden at fullback.
It's the second idea of playing around with the Barrett brothers that head coach Ian Foster has already hinted appeals more to him more.
Playing Jordie at 12 would be a voyage of discovery, and one that can be taken - given the enforced circumstances – without it carrying the pressure of appearing to be an intriguing strategic change of heart about his best position.
Foster has been wedded to his conviction that despite Barrett's desire to play more in his preferred position of second-five, he better serves the team at fullback.
Test rugby, as Ireland and South Africa both demonstrated, continues to carry a strong aerial theme – it can still be dominated by a kick-chase rather than run-pass mentality – and Barrett, with his physical presence, bravery, technical expertise, crunching defence, booming boot and subtle variety in his skillset, provides the full array of what Foster wants in his fullback.
The All Blacks head coach is also sold on the ability of Havili as a playmaking second-five and while that faith has been tested at times this year, Foster's commitment to his belief has not wavered.
And to some degree his patience in persevering with Havili at 12, allowing him extended time to build a midfield combination with Rieko Ioane, has been rewarded, with the duo producing slick and commanding performances against South Africa at Ellis Park and Argentina in Hamilton.
Having made a considerable time investment in the Havili-Ioane partnership and the World Cup sitting visible on the horizon now, the probable backline configuration which the All Blacks will start with at Eden Park seems more likely to be deemed by the coaching group as an opportunity to refine a backline set-up that they like as an up-the-sleeve alternative which can change the dynamic of a test in the final quarter.
But there's a possibility, too, given what was witnessed in Melbourne, that playing Jordie at 12 and Beauden at fullback becomes not the alternative to be tried midway through a test, but the preferred configuration with which to start tests.
It was injury to others that opened the door to the All Blacks finding their now preferred front row and maybe the same will happen in their midfield.
Once Tupaea left the field late in the first half of Bledisloe I, the All Blacks were forced to shift Jordie to 12 and introduce Beauden at 15 and several things caught the attention.
All Black Quinn Tupaea is out for the season following a knee injury in Bledisloe I. Photosport
The most noticeable advantage that set-up brought was the way Beauden and Richie Mo'unga seamlessly worked as dual playmakers.
These two have been asked to operate like this before, but on past occasions, it never quite delivered the intended doubling of game-management horsepower.
When it was tried in 2019 and 2020 it tended to see Mo'unga defer to the more senior Barrett and almost relieve himself of tactical responsibility.
But in the last few tests, Mo'unga has finally come of age and found his confidence at this level, which has empowered him to play with the control and authority that has defined his career with the Crusaders.
Against Australia, there was a sense of the two players operating as equals and if Barrett ran one play, Mo'unga would be at the helm the next, and what didn't quite work before looks like it may work now.
The second most critical observation from Melbourne wasn't so much what the reconfigured backline brought, more what it could bring if given the opportunity to plan and strategise.
What allowed the Wallabies back into the game in the final quarter when they were 31-13 behind was some weak tackling and poor defensive alignment from the All Blacks.
Starting a test with the two Barrett brothers creates the chance to use them cleverly as defensive organisers, where between them they ensure one has command of the frontline and the other the backfield.
Mo'unga is now the right choice to start at No 10, but his defence remains sketchy, while Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan need a strong guiding voice to steer them into the right places and occasionally, too, a brilliant cover defender at fullback to clean up their occasional tackling lapses.
Whatever anyone thinks of the Barrett brothers as attacking forces, defensively they bring brain and brawn and a backline reshuffle forced by injury may end up being retained by necessity.
