Beauden Barrett’s return to No 10 highlights Blues’ playmaking dilemma

By Liam Napier

Much of the intrigue surrounding the Blues this season is about how they will juggle their plethora of playmakers.

With a largely settled roster and coaching team, Beauden Barrett’s reintegration from Japan promised to complement and complicate a championship-winning formula.

Slow out of the blocks, through their two loss, one win stuttering start to the season, the Blues retained Harry Plummer at first five-eighth after his unheralded influence helped break their 18-year title drought in 2024.

This week, though, as the Blues welcome the Brumbies to Eden Park on Friday night, Vern Cotter has pulled the switch lever to inject Barrett at first-five, Plummer to the bench, and promote Cole Forbes’ attacking threat to fullback in what could be the first in a series of regular selection changes.

Barrett, naturally, wants to play 10. That’s where he believes he has the most influence.

He finished last year as the All Blacks’ preferred playmaker – after usurping Damian McKenzie mid-year. The more Barrett features from first receiver, the more he can state his case to All Blacks coach Scott Robertson.

McKenzie, to this point at least, has carved past the most defenders in Super Rugby Pacific from fullback for the Chiefs.

While Cotter says Barrett was always destined to start at first-five for the Blues this season, his decision to hand him the director duties would have been swayed by the closing stages of his side’s squeaky victory over the Hurricanes in Wellington that snapped their 0-2 start.

With the Blues needing to chase the game late, Barrett sparked the Blues by breaking from their direct forward-led approach to attack, giving the ball air to unleash often under-used All Blacks wings Mark Tele’a and Caleb Clarke.

Against the Brumbies, though, Barrett is unlikely to adopt such attacking intent from the outset, with the visiting team’s strike zone conversion and breakdown success pointing to a territory-based approach, initially at least.

“We wanted to start the season with a settled 9/10 combination from last year and Beauden brings his quality,” Cotter said, noting Sam Nock’s promotion at halfback for the Brumbies, too.

“We knew Beauden could always shift in there. This is his opportunity to lead the team from 10 – and a good one at home against the Brumbies.

“Beauden has got a wide passing game and we’ve got some good wingers. Being able to shift the ball laterally at times is advantageous for us.

“How many years has he had at the top level of rugby? We’re lucky to have someone like that who can go in and lead the game. It’s his turn this week.”

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission