The All Blacks milestones Beauden Barrett could break

By Cameron McMillan

All Blacks veteran Beauden Barrett announced yesterday that he’s re-signed with New Zealand Rugby and the Blues until 2027, which puts him in position for another shot at the Rugby World Cup.

Barrett will be eligible for All Blacks selection upon his return to New Zealand later next year following a stint with Toyota Verblitz in Japan’s Rugby League One competition.

He scored the only try in the All Blacks’ defeat to South Africa in the World Cup final, eight years after dotting down in the 2015 final win over the Wallabies. The 32-year-old has finished first, third and second at his three World Cup tournaments, and a four-year deal leaves the door open for a fourth appearance at the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

Here’s a look at the milestones Beauden Barrett could achieve over the next four seasons in black.

Most caps for the All Blacks
Barrett has remained one of the most reliable All Blacks to be on the teamsheet in recent years, having played 33 of the side’s 40 tests over the last three seasons. He’s 30 tests shy of equalling Sam Whitelock’s test record as the most-capped All Black. He should overtake former teammates Aaron Smith, Kieran Read and possibly Keven Mealamu next season, which would leave him third on New Zealand’s male all-time list. Barrett currently sits in 22nd on the World Rugby all-time caps list.

Sam Whitelock 153
Richie McCaw 148
Keven Mealamu 132
Kieran Read 127
Aaron Smith 125
Beauden Barrett 123

Most wins for the All Blacks
Winning usually comes with the territory for the All Blacks - 11 of the top 12 players on the all-time list are New Zealanders - but it’s interesting to note that despite Whitelock playing six more games than McCaw, he didn’t play in as many victories. Barrett currently sits in sixth place on the win list, one spot behind Tony Woodcock.

McCaw 131
Whitelock 125
Mealamu 113
Read 107
Woodcock 102
Beauden Barrett 101

Most defeats for the All Blacks
Sadly, the more you play, the more chances you have to lose in the black jersey.

Whitelock 22
Aaron Smith 19
Beauden Barrett 18

Most tries for the All Blacks
He’s the only player to score twice in a World Cup final, the only try in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final defeat to the Springboks being his 43rd in test rugby. Barrett currently sits six tries shy of equalling the All Blacks record, and 26 behind all-time holder Daisuke Ohata. His try-scoring rate has dropped in recent years with four in the last two seasons, though seven over the next four years certainly seems achievable and would mean he’d become the first All Black to reach 50 - although Will Jordan, with 31 tries in 31 tests, is approaching at an impressive rate.

Doug Howlett 49
Julian Savea 46
Christian Cullen 46
Joe Rokocoko 46
Jeff Wilson 44
Beauden Barrett 43

Most points for the All Blacks
Barrett hasn’t kicked a penalty for the All Blacks since 2021 and converted only four tries over the last two years, with Richie Mo’unga and little brother Jordie taking the kicking duties. He was, however, the main kicker for the Blues last season, so he hasn’t thrown away the kicking tee just yet. During his scoring peak for the All Blacks in 2016, 2017 and 2018, he was averaging 152 points for season. Even if he matched that again for the next four years, he would still be more than 200 points shy of Dan Carter’s record. Even Andrew Mehrtens seems too far away.

Dan Carter 1598
Andrew Mehrtens 967
Beauden Barrett 734

Most World Rugby Player of the Year awards
Only three men have won the World Rugby Player of the Year award on three occasions - Richie McCaw and Dan Carter. Barrett has two wins to his name in 2016 and 2018. He hasn’t been nominated since 2018, but you can’t rule it out, as he remains one of the stand-out players for the side.

McCaw, Carter 3
Beauden Barrett 2

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