Former England flyhalf Stuart Barnes has stoked the flames ahead of this weekend’s clash against the All Blacks, aiming his criticism squarely at Beauden Barrett.
Writing as a columnist and match analyst for The Times, Barnes didn’t hold back in his assessment, describing Barrett as past his prime.
“The extraordinary pace isn’t there as it was when he scored the sealing try at Twickenham in the 2015 World Cup final,” he said, arguing that England’s Marcus Smith would be his choice over Barrett “every day of the week.”
For Barnes, the Barrett of today is no longer the player who dazzled to back-to-back World Rugby Player of the Year titles, with “the little flips and chips” that earned him international acclaim now, in Barnes’s words, “no more.”
Barrett, once hailed as one of “the most dazzling rugby players to lace a pair of boots this century,” has been overshadowed by the likes of Dan Carter and Richie Mo’unga. “When you see Barrett you see a glorious past, a great rugby player,” Barnes wrote, “yet never a flyhalf that New Zealand could trust come a World Cup.”
Barnes acknowledged Barrett’s brilliance at his peak, calling him the best rugby player in the world at one point, but pointed to a recurring trend – Barrett was never in the All Blacks’ No.10 jersey for the knockout stages of the 2015, 2019, and 2023 Rugby World Cups.
He highlighted the fact that in Scott Robertson’s tenure, Damian McKenzie has taken the reins at first five-eighth across the All Blacks’ first eight tests, suggesting a changing of the guard.
Barnes, however, anticipates Barrett to start this weekend, given McKenzie’s recent start against Japan, and believes Smith has the ability to outshine Barrett in a head-to-head battle if he’s selected.
“The English future has the form and confidence to come out on top against a glorious past,” Barnes wrote, adding that Steve Borthwick needs to unleash Smith’s creativity if England is to break new ground against the All Blacks. “It’s not the brave call, it’s the right one.”
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