Beauden Barrett’s battle to find form with the All Blacks - is his time up?

Sunday, 24 May 2026

Father Time remains undefeated in sports, even though LeBron James, and before him Tom Brady, have given the old bugger a pretty decent run for his money. Now it would appear to be Beauden Barrett’s turn to stave off the spectre of age at an historical point of his All Blacks career.

Barrett, aged 34, is locked in what appears to be a three-way battle for the All Blacks No 10 jersey for July’s Nations Championship tests against France, Italy and Ireland, alongside wizardly Chiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie and young Hurricanes game-changer Ruben Love.

Of course, the experienced and highly capable Richie Mo’unga is on the cusp of an 18-month return to the New Zealand game that will take him through to the 2027 World Cup, and his considerable presence is set to change the balance at 10 markedly. But he’s not All Blacks-eligible until the September Bledisloes (after the ‘Greatest Rivalry’ tour of South Africa), though that could change in a heartbeat in the event of injury, form slumps or even a straight change of mind.

In the meantime new coach Dave Rennie seems set to include Barrett, McKenzie and Love in his 34-strong squad for July (given all three also cover fullback adequately), and let them battle it out for the pecking order over the tail-end of Super Rugby and short period together before the French opener.

By rights Barrett, with his record-setting 144 test caps (the most by an All Backs back, and nine shy of Sam Whitelock’s overall record of 153), should start the tests that matter. He’s the incumbent, the most experienced (having played in three World Cups, including the 2015 triumph) and, at his best, has the overall game most suited to the international arena.

At his best.

The problem is that Barrett has been well shy of his usual high standards in 2026, which throws up a potential issue for Rennie. Is it a temporary decline? Or is Father Time about to add another dubya to his record? And, if it's the latter, what is Plan B, and what on earth happens in the event of injury?

The dropoff after the aforementioned quartet, if you factor out the departing Stephen Perofeta, is alarming. Josh Jacomb and Rivez Reihana are next cabs off the rank, and test ready they are not.

First things first.

The eye-test tells you Barrett is not the force he has been previously. His tactical kicking has been frequently wayward, he is making few, if any, breaks and his ability to spark the backline appears to be on the wane. He appears a step slow and a dollar short when it comes to making things happen.

Even Blues coach Vern Cotter, as loyal as the day is long, appears to be losing patience. He dropped Barrett for the recent visit to the Crusaders (unheard of hitherto), and after last Saturday’s comprehensive defeat to the Hurricanes at Eden Park fumbled and stumbled when asked if Barrett was short of his best

“That’s a question you have to ask Beaudy,” said the coach, somewhat cryptically. “Probably he wasn’t in what he would consider his best form tonight. He wasn’t on his own there. But that’s a conversation that needs to be had with him.”

There is no doubting Barrett’s class. He has been a brilliant player, for both franchise and country, and by some counts trails only the great Dan Carter in the list of finest All Blacks No 10s. He’s won tests almost single-handedly – showcased by his virtuoso four-try effort against Australia in 2018 – was world player of the year in ‘16 and ‘17 and has been a game-changer, at both 10 and 15, in the black jersey for a long, long time.

At his best he can create from nothing, breeze through a gap in a defence with a deceptive turn of speed, create with his smooth acceleration and deceptive strength, and back it up with sublime kicking and passing skills and an uncanny knack to get the ball to pop up in just the right places.

But there have to be legitimate concerns that best now sits in his rearview mirror. And that’s where it will get interesting for Rennie as he weighs a plainly out-of-sorts Barrett against a chirpy McKenzie and a dynamic Love – both playing in teams performing far better than Barrett’s Blues.

If the new All Blacks coach is concerned about his options at 10, he’s disguising it well. During his recent week back in New Zealand he said “we’re blessed in that position” and that he was “excited” about watching “the intensity grow” over the tail end of Super Rugby.

Then he doubled down on his No 10 stock: “It’s definitely a position of strength.”

Sixty-test All Blacks fullback/wing and leading Sky rugby analyst Jeff Wilson told the Star-Times concerns about Barrett’s form were legitimate, but put them down to a lack of confidence, more than declining form or ability.

“It’s clear the Blues’ style hasn’t suited his skillset and the things he’s good at,” noted Wilson. “And a player who instinctively looks to attack has almost been reduced to fighting those instincts and having to kick more than pass or play.

“So much of this game is about confidence and you can tell he hasn’t got the confidence to do the things he does well. I don’t know whether he’s out of form because I don’t think he’s getting the chance to do the things he’s good at.”

Wilson makes a valid point. The stodgy, one-dimensional Blues’ approach under Vern Cotter appears to have left Barrett second-guessing himself. There’s no fluency to his game, and that’s an aspect he appears to be struggling with.

“If he slotted straight into an All Blacks team that Rennie is saying is going to play with more optimism, that might spark him out of the flat spot he’s clearly in,” added Wilson. “Whether he can rediscover [his form], there are no guarantees.”

Wilson isn’t so convinced age is Barrett’s primary handbrake either.

“It’s not his body that’s failing. Clearly he’s not going to be the same athlete he was. Maybe he’s half a yard of pace off. But all the skillsets are still there. It’s just confidence he’s wrestling with.”

In other words, write Barrett off at your peril.

“It’s a hard place to get your confidence back, the test arena. But I trust the ability is still there. It just needs to almost turn a corner again. There were signs when he first came back [with the Blues) there was a pep in his step, and he was playing with urgency. As the Blues became more frustrated, his form has gone with that.”

In terms of the resources at 10, Wilson feels Rennie has his bases well covered, especially when Mo’unga enters the frame.

“We’re in a good position. You look at Beauden with 144 tests, Richie 56, Damian 74 and Ruben five. What other country has that depth? And they are all in different stages of the careers. Some are only going to get better, and three of the four can play fullback.”

And Wilson believes all four should be in the mix for South Africa.

“It’s absurd [Mo’unga] is not available for selection right away. This is not an overseas availability thing. He’s contracted to New Zealand and committed for the next 18 months. Why would you not select him? It just makes no sense. He’s committed for two years with the All Blacks, and they’re saying that’s not long enough.”

As for who wears 10 in July …

“I’d start Love,” he adds. “But I’ve got McKenzie at fullback. I’m not pushing Will [Jordan] to right wing … I’m playing him there. He’s just as good on the wing as he is at fullback.”

And that, folks, is a whole different kettle of fish.