Scott Barrett confirms plan is to make it back for tail end of the Crusaders’ season
Friday, 5 December 2025
All Blacks skipper Scott Barrett has confirmed he’s hoping to play the back part of the Super Rugby Pacific season with the Crusaders as he firms a plan to get himself in the shape he needs to be for the ‘greatest rivalry’ tour of South Africa.
Barrett confirmed on Thursday he is still finalising details of his extended off-season break, negotiated with his bosses at NZ Rugby, but the intention at this stage was to return to the field for the Crusaders some time in May.
The Crusaders will be chasing a ninth Super Rugby title in the last 10 seasons.
The 32-year-old lock has played 89 tests for the All Blacks and has been coach Scott Robertson’s choice as captain since he came on board in 2024.
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“Off the back of the last World Cup I took some time to basically say how could I be at the next World Cup and be still contributing in a big way to this team,” explained Barrett of the decision to take an extended off-season interlude.
“Part of the strategy was to break it into two segments off the back of the first two years. It has been a big couple of years in the role as captain, physically and mentally, and this break comes at a good time. Ultimately I want to be out the other side of this come May for 18 months of rugby where I can contribute to a team lifting the World Cup.”
Barrett then confirmed he intended to play the business end of the Super Rugby season to get himself in the condition he needed to be for the four-test tour to South Africa and beyond.
“I’m working through that at the moment,” he added. “I’m planning on playing the tail-end of Super. I would like a bit of rugby before the July series [in South Africa]. I haven’t finalised the plan as yet.”
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson confirmed the review of the team’s 10-3 year was playing out now, though there would not be a formal presentation of it until January 15.
“We have someone who travels with us the whole time that’s reviewing,” he explained. “There’s online stuff, group stuff, and they do it on tour, sit down and talk with the leaders and get feedback. People gather it, and in the new year the information is disseminated.
“We do it three or four times a year. It’s thorough. It’s pretty much an interrogation from top to bottom, and is a great tool for us to get feedback as coaches and a whole group.”
Robertson’s biggest off-season decision will revolve around replacing Jason Holland in his coaching group. Who does he bring in? Remember, it was at a similar stage of the last cycle that Ian Foster added Jason Ryan and Joe Schmidt to his team and essentially turned around the entire trajectory of the All Blacks.