It was a brisk April afternoon down at Rosslyn Park. Standing on the sideline, watching the fourth team, I used my sore back as an excuse not to step foot on the pitch.
London Kiwis were our opponents in the Middlesex Merit League play-off. A group of young New Zealanders, based down the road in Acton. Not exactly Barrett brothers territory, surely?
We had barely lost all season, feeling unbeatable thanks to the arrival of some speedy new wingers, fresh out of university. Confidence was high. We had already beaten the Kiwis twice that season and, shambling in 10 minutes before kick-off, it felt like we had discovered the perfect formula for social rugby.
Promotion was in our sights, but suddenly the Kiwis were running the ball from everywhere. Bolstered by a couple of Polynesian recruits, our 43-year-old flanker watched their No 10 send a penalty over his head in the final play to bring our season to a crushing end.
‘Where did that come from?’ we asked, blindsided by the last-minute defeat. As I sat down with 131-cap All Black legend Beauden Barrett at New Zealand’s team hotel on Monday evening, it began to make sense.
All Black legend Beauden Barrett has sat down with Mail Sport ahead of facing England
Beauden, Scott and Jordie Barrett have another brother Blake, an unsung builder in London
Only nine men have earned more Test caps than Barrett has in his New Zealand career
‘All three of us – myself, Scott and Jordie – went to watch London Kiwis play on Saturday,’ he explained, talking through the first few days in London with his All Black siblings.
‘Our brother, Blake, plays for them. It was an entertaining watch, 10-0, and everyone enjoyed a beer after the game. Blake’s a builder, playing cricket and rugby over here. He’s the ultimate club man. His visa will be up in August then he’ll come home, but it’s been great for him.’
Blake is a stocky back-row forward who can hold his own, busting a couple of tackles out on the pitch before a beer in the clubhouse.
‘Our games of rugby in the back yard were always super competitive,’ added Barrett, who now plays his club rugby almost 6,000 miles away for Toyota Verblitz in the burgeoning Japanese top flight. ‘We were always trying to be like our favourite players; the likes of Andrew Mehrtens and Christian Cullen.’
It was back on the family farm in Taranaki, overlooking a dormant stratovolcano on New Zealand’s North Island, where the brothers first picked up a rugby ball. The birthplace of one of rugby’s most iconic families.
Around six inches shorter than Scott and Jordie, Beauden is the smallest of the clan. His dazzling skillset – the flicks, spins and scoops that our fourth XV try (and usually fail) to copy – have propelled him into the pantheon of rugby greats, and only nine men have ever played more Tests. By the end of this autumn tour, that number should be down to just seven.
Beauden grew up as a long-distance fan of Manchester United and, as we settle into a quiet corner of the hotel bar, the conversation takes an early turn towards Erik ten Hag’s departure from Old Trafford.
‘When we lived in Ireland in 2001, I was a big fan of United. I loved Real Madrid around that time too… Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos. I went back to New Zealand wanting to play football but there was no soccer team in Taranaki so it was straight back into rugby. I heard about their coach, unfortunately. United are a proud club and they just want a successful team.’
Barrett is a long-distance fan of Man United and his thoughts turned to Erik ten Hag’s sacking
The All Blacks, like Manchester United, are linked to Ineos through a performance partnership
Barrett said Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a ‘top person’ and says the All Blacks are ‘lucky’ to rub shoulders with other teams sponsored by Ineos
The All Blacks are also part of the Ineos family.
‘I’ve met Sir Jim Ratcliffe and he’s a top man, down to earth. He’s passionate about performance in sport. Ineos are all about high performance. We’re lucky we get to rub shoulders with the other teams they sponsor, because they’re into everything.
‘We don’t have too much to do with them directly but it opens a lot of doors. Ineos are so performance based, searching for the answers about what drives you. Searching for the point of difference or the edge.
‘From a Kiwi perspective, it’s about being innovative in the way we play. Kiwis punch above our weight, per capita. There’s some incredibly pioneering people in our history – the likes of Sir Edmund Hillary – who have paved the way for us.’
Back in New Zealand, the All Blacks operate under a similar level of scrutiny to Manchester United. They are one of the country’s most marketable assets. At the table next to us, a group of middle-aged women sit down for dinner, swooning at the fact they have just spotted ‘the men who do the Haka’.
Barrett is from a generation of All Blacks that stands alongside the likes of Tiger Woods, Tom Brady and the Chicago Bulls. Symbols of sporting dominance. They have experienced success on par with Sir Alex Ferguson’s United, winning back-to-back World Cups in 2011 and 2015 — the latter of which was sealed by Barrett’s brilliant counter-attacking try at Twickenham. So, does he feel a similar level of pressure and expectation?
‘For sure,’ he says. ‘I was doing a commercial a couple of weeks ago and they brought up some old quotes from Eddie Jones, when he was playing his little media games. He said something around when the All Blacks lose, it affects the economy. The impact is dramatic. He was coaching England at the time, trying to wind us up!’
In recent years, the All Blacks’ dominance has come under threat. South Africa have won the last two World Cups and they have arrived for their European tour with critics firing shots at their credentials.
Barrett’s try at Twickenham in 2015 helped New Zealand win back-to-back World Cups
The triumph confirmed that All Blacks generation as being a symbol of sporting dominance
New Zealand’s status has come under threat with South Africa winning the last two World Cups
Barrett believes the amount of data and analysis has made it really hard to innovate in rugby
‘Obviously the big prize is every four years and South Africa have won the most recent two competitions,’ Barrett says. ‘You’ve got half a dozen teams who on any given day can win and as a fan that’s probably what you want.
‘At the moment, with all the data, the analysis makes it really hard to innovate in the game of rugby. I think 10 years ago the game was a much better product because it was a bit more free-flowing, less technical, less stop-start, the officials had less influence. With all that in mind, it’s more of a level playing now so it’s finding way to stay one step ahead.’
Naturally, none of the noise flusters Barrett. He has heard it all before. Living the life of an All Black for more than a decade, he has been able to share experiences with everyone from Lewis Hamilton to Neymar on managing the volatile expectations of sport.
‘We’re constantly monitoring the feeling in the camp – do we need more or less of this – a little social gathering on Tuesday, day off Wednesday,’ he adds. ‘On a Wednesday, we’re always hunting a nice golf course so that’s what we’ll be doing this week. It’s important to have that balance.
‘I’ve got to meet a lot of famous golfers. Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood; great men. I’m planning on playing a game of golf with Rory in December when he comes out to New Zealand.
‘We can learn a lot from each other, mental skills, being present for your next task. If you imagine a game of golf going on for five or six hours, walking the course, they only really have to be “on” from the time they grab their club and commit to their shot. They can’t sustain that intensity so they have to switch on and off all the time.
‘We’re similar with the skills of goal-kicking or throwing a lineout. Having a consistent routine. You use things like breathwork. Even if it’s not in sport, getting a bit anxious about something at work, being conscious and controlling your breath. We’re lucky we get taught these sorts of things because they’re amazing. You don’t want to pick their brain too much. I’d rather enjoy their company.’
Since making his Test debut in 2012, Barrett has won the World Cup, claimed two player of the year awards and already has that bounty of Test caps to his name. Having recently signed on to play for his country until 2027, he could well become the most capped All Black of all time before the next World Cup.
Barrett has shared experience with the likes of Neymar, left, during his decade as an All Black
Steve Borthwick’s England await the All Blacks on Saturday as part of their Autumn tour
Barrett admits he really enjoys watching Marcus Smith and is looking forward to facing him
Barrett is on track to become the most capped All Black of all time before the next World Cup
‘What excited me about coming back was playing with my brothers,’ he says. ‘I knew I physically had plenty to give, I’ve got a young family so that’s probably more mentally taking its toll the most.
‘Our dad’s coming over this week with his mate. He’s had a lot of fun on tours. He’s got a couple of rules and one of them is you’ve got to have a beer in your hand at midnight, every night! They love the Guinness up here.’ Blake will be there too, no doubt.
‘England at Twickenham, going up against Marcus Smith. He’s a fantastic and exciting player. I really enjoy watching him play. He plays the game with lots of ambition and spark and clearly backs himself, which is one of his biggest strengths.
‘Twickenham holds 80-thousand plus so it’s always an immense occasion. It’s a place of many memories for me.’
It’s a long way from the farm in Taranaki but, coincidentally, only 20 minutes up the road from the Rosslyn Park fours.
