Beauden Barrett might have reasons to think twice about joining the Blues. Photo / Photosport
Beauden Barrett might have reasons to think twice about joining the Blues. Photo / Photosport
COMMENT:
There are many things that will put Beauden Barrett off swapping the Hurricanes for the Blues, not least stepping from a comfortable and familiar environment into an unknown one, and the Auckland-based team's appalling level of under-achievement since 2011.
That was when the Blues last featured in the SuperRugby playoffs, a run which finished at the semifinal stage when beaten by eventual champions the Reds in Brisbane. A year later and head coach Pat Lam was sacked.
Since then John Kirwan has come and gone. Tana Umaga came, did his best for three seasons, and was demoted for this most recent one following Leon MacDonald's arrival. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, have featured in the playoffs every year since 2015 and won their maiden title in 2016.
So the Blues franchise hasn't been the most stable of work environments. But that, to a large degree, is professional sport – there are few guarantees, apart, the cynics may say, from the inevitability of the Crusaders horses running laps of their stadium no matter the reasons for their temporary withdrawal.
And there is a specific reason why Barrett, a 28-year-old who has played 73 tests, may give extra pause before committing to changing postcodes and allegiances and that's because of the Blues' relative weaknesses at halfback, an issue the franchise are aware of at board level and addressing.
Augustine Pulu, whose intercepted pass at Eden Park allowed Barrett to score the decisive try in the Hurricanes' 22-12 victory last month, is returning to Japan and will not play for the Blues next year.
Blues head coach Leon MacDonald and assistant coach Tana Umaga. Photo / Photosport
As a replacement, the Herald can reveal they have signed Hurricanes' back-up Finlay Christie, a 23-year-old who has had few opportunities in Wellington over the past two seasons after his move from the Chiefs due to the formidable presence of TJ Perenara, although Christie did have the rare privilege of starting against the Blues in his side's 29-24 victory at Westpac Stadium a fortnight ago.
Jonathan Ruru and Sam Nock remain on contract with the Blues. Ruru swapped starting roles with Pulu, which probably allowed neither to find their rhythm, although the relentless interchanging of Otere Black and Harry Plummer at first-five probably didn't help with that either. Nock hurt a hand in May which put a stop to his season. He played six games in total.
Christie, a Tasman player, is well known to MacDonald, the former head coach of the Mako. He has good acceleration and a decent pass – the latter attribute is something the Blues have desperately needed for years – and is likely to thrive with more opportunity. He was born in Scotland and moved to New Zealand with his parents as a 7-year-old and has attracted interest from clubs in the United Kingdom and will also be on the radar of the Scotland national team.
For Barrett, maybe the Hurricanes' connection that Christie provides may help sway his decision. We'll all find out at season end which for the Hurricanes may be as soon as Monday as their semifinal opponents on Saturday are the defending champion Crusaders in Christchurch.
The other factor is the Blues' desire or ability to work hard for each other. Last year a high level coach told the Herald the statistics proved Blues were among the worst in the competition at scrambling to get back on defence and help their mates; efforts that late in matches require a sustained, lung-bursting desperation.
Without having access to that information this season, the Blues appear to have improved in this respect.
No matter whom the Blues sign, the mentality of wanting to put the team above one's self cannot be bought, only earned and learned, and the first chance they have of proving it is in February next year, well after Barrett has decided where his future lies.
