Jordie Barrett impressed in the midfield for the All Blacks in 2022. Photo / Photosport
Jordie Barrett impressed in the midfield for the All Blacks in 2022. Photo / Photosport
Jordie Barrett is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to make the No 12 jersey his own.
The All Blacks star is set for a new role for the Hurricanes this season, with confirmation that he will be deployed at second five-eighth after some successful games in the positionin 2022 which turned into a successful stint in the All Blacks’ No 12 jersey.
At an All Blacks camp earlier in the year where he was given feedback on how to further develop his game, he said coach Ian Foster indicated it was a positional change the national side were keen to continue exploring.
“Fozzie indicated he enjoyed me playing there. The rest is up to me to keep playing well and put myself in that position every week,” Barrett said.
Barrett turning his attention to becoming a full-time midfielder is likely to be a welcome development for the All Blacks with the World Cup later this year, given their midfield depth was tested in 2022. Barrett was arguably the most impressive of those deployed in the No 12 jersey last season, showing he could be a force moving forward.
In preparation to give the best account of himself this season and challenge for that All Blacks jersey on a full-time basis, the 25-year-old has been tapping into the wealth of knowledge available to him, including reaching out to his former first XV coach at Taranaki’s Francis Douglas Memorial College, Tim Stuck.
“I’m always sending him clips and he’s feeding back. I’m just trying to grow my game; trying to evolve and get better each week,” Barrett said.
“I’m always trying to evolve my game. No one’s ever the finished product and I’m very much new to 12 at this level. It does take a little bit of adjusting, especially little movements and timings that are so different from 15.
“You’ve got to have your finger on the pulse all the time — both sides of the ball, off the tail of the lineout, set piece-wise, attack and defence, and same with the scrum. You’ve got to be fully adept with defensive aspects and attacking into that transition zone where you can’t hide from the game. It’s exciting and that’s exactly why I like playing there — you’re always involved.”
Jordie Barrett is embracing his move to No 12 with both the Hurricanes and the All Blacks. Photo / Getty
The All Blacks factor played no part in his permanent move into the position for the Hurricanes, however. Barrett said Hurricanes coach Jason Holland indicated last year that he was best utilised in the midfield within the Hurricanes system.
While he was given some opportunities there in 2023, the emergence of fullback Ruben Love means they now have the flexibility to move Barrett away from the No 15 jersey. Although Love is expected to miss the opening rounds of Super Rugby with a groin injury, Holland indicated he was happy giving sophomore speedster Josh Moorby more game time after some strong outings in 2022.
“Jase (Holland) made his intentions pretty clear last year with where I best fit in this Hurricanes environment,” Barrett said.
“I enjoyed my stint there last year and the continuation with the All Blacks on the end of year tour. I fit back into here nicely. I’m just training at 12, so it’s good for continuity.
“I’ve learned throughout my career nothing’s ever given to you; you’ve got to earn it every week. All my energy will be going into playing 12, but I’ll be able to call on my experience playing 15 if I’m needed throughout the season and whatever happens down the track. I’m certainly not closing the book; it’s there if I needed.”
