'Take a chill pill' - Martin Devlin tells us all to calm down about Beauden Barrett's recent performance.
COMMENT:
Can everyone just take a chill pill and calm the **** down please!
Beauden Barrett will be back in black, that's a given. Where he'll play only the selectors do know but all this premature talk of his demise carries as much cred as the Aussies saying any Pacifica SuperRugby side should be based over their place.
Have people suddenly forgotten that age-old adage "form is temporary, class is permanent"? Beauden Barrett hasn't suddenly become a bad player - and shame on every bandwagon jumper who's already decided he has.
Those people now saying he's lost it are the same crowd who just two weeks ago were lauding his on & off-field contribution with the Blues as inspirational. Just like the same folk who when the Hurricanes were 0-3 were saying Jordie Barrett is half the player he was are now holding him up as the form fullback in the country.
How reassuring to know the selectors don't make their decisions based on one or even two, good or bad, Super Rugby performances.
It might also pay to remember that a proven test player has a level of experience and ability that no amount of professional franchise games can ever provide. Two weeks ago Beauden was the ultimate team man providing invaluable help, advice and mentoring to his new team-mates. A fortnight later he's now "dis-interested, over it and half the player he was"?
Beauden Barrett's in great form. Photo / photosport.nz
And look I know and appreciate that in the business I work in we all need new angles and opinions to entice, arouse and provoke our own spectator interest but this kneejerk over the top reaction stuff is as idiotic as it is untrue.
The next All Blacks squad will not be selected on just Super Rugby form. Never has, never was and never will be the norm.
