As they did in 2017, Taranaki have snatched the Log o' Wood from Canterbury in Christchurch, with a late Jordie Barrett penalty sealing a 23-22 win. Video / Sky Sport
COMMENT:
The key to unlocking Beauden Barrett's devastating impact does not lie in the jersey he wears. It's not about the team he plays for either.
Barrett comes to life when he runs hard and fast at defences, gliding across the turf as if he's not really trying yet defendersare getting nowhere near him.
He's the most exciting attacking player on the planet when he's in perpetual motion: coming at a broken defence on an arcing run, picking the exact moment to straighten or swerve and ease to a sixth gear in the same instant.
He produced a stunning reminder midway through the first half of Taranaki's Ranfurly Shield heist of what he's really all about when he carved through five Canterbury defenders to set up a simple try for Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens.
Beauden Barrett. Canterbury vs. Taranaki Mitre 10 Cup and Ranfurly Shield rugby match at Orangtheory Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
It was classic Barrett. He'd dropped into the backfield on defence and when his brother Jordie fielded a high ball, Barrett senior shouted for it.
What mattered and what enabled him to then cruise 50 metres without a hand being laid on him was that he didn't hesitate or deliberate. He didn't stand and assess his options, think about kicking it back or look to see who was around him.
He was already moving when he took the pass and always certain that he was committed to his decision to run.
That's when Barrett is at his best – when he's dynamic both physically and mentally. When he's clear in his head and backs himself to run, that's when Barrett does all the damage no matter whether he's playing first-five or fullback.
Think back to last year when he sparked the All Blacks' second try at Eden Park against the Wallabies. It came from him fielding a long but loose clearance by Australia.
He picked it up and scanned the oncoming defence as he accelerated hard towards them. Most players who find themselves in a situation like that tend to make their tactical assessment with their feet planted, inviting the defence to get closer to them as they calculate their options.
Beauden Barrett of Taranaki eludes Luke Romano of Canterbury during the Mitre10 Cup and Ranfurly Shield rugby match, Canterbruy V Taranaki. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
By the time they start moving, the defence is on them and they can't escape. Whatever options there were, disappear as a result of dithering.
Barrett instilled panic into the Wallabies defensive line because he never set himself up as an easy, static target and was already at speed when the first defenders got close to him.
Because he was moving, the defence slowed up, many even stopped running to see where he was going and the advantage became Barrett's.
He was on the move while most defenders were flat-footed, no longer in dynamic positions to either chase him down or make the tackle and he ripped a huge hole down the left flank that George Bridge was able to fly through untouched.
And while it may have looked like Bridge did all the work, it was Barrett who made the try because he fixed the defence, by making an instant, clean decision to move fast as soon as he had the ball.
It seems a ridiculously small point to labour but it is the key to Barrett's whole game.
Think back through his career, particularly since 2016, and all his magical moments are built on him being instinctive and proactive.
When he's been unencumbered with his decision-making, it has empowered his natural instinct to run and that's been true when he's been operating in the backfield or frontline.
The where doesn't matter. The position he plays doesn't matter as Barrett has been monumentally destructive from all parts of the field.
In 2016 the All Blacks averaged 5.8 tries per game. They were clocking up an average of nearly 40 points per game in the Rugby Championship and it was all sparked by Barrett's running game.
No one was overly worried that the All Blacks weren't delivering an astute or strong tactical kicking repertoire that year.
Their triple-threat game that they built between 2012 and 2015 was suddenly a single threat game and yet they were the greatest attacking force the professional game had seen.
And it was all Barrett. He was always moving, always running, always stretching defences by never standing still and opposition teams couldn't cope.
Barrett opened everyone up and the rest of the All Blacks queued to finish teams off.
It doesn't matter where Barrett plays in 2020 as long as he backs himself to move early and run hard.
