ALL Blacks: Laumape and J. Barret starting

All Blacks team to play the Lions at Eden Park on Saturday night:

15. Jordie Barrett
14. Israel Dagg
13. Anton Lienert-Brown
12. Ngani Laumape
11. Julian Savea
10. Beauden Barrett
9. Aaron Smith
8. Kieran Read (c)
7. Sam Cane
6. Jerome Kaino
5. Sam Whitelock
4. Brodie Retallick
3. Owen Franks
2. Codie Taylor
1. Joe Moody

Reserves: Nathan Harris, Wyatt Crockett, Charlie Faumuina, Scott Barrett, Ardie Savea, TJ Perenara, Aaron Cruden, Malakai Fekitoa

 I don't like this at all,.... this is a huge mistake IMO,.... neither of both is ready,... both have problems defending
experience is a very important factor in these kind of games and there are more experienced players in the squad,... Fekitoa, Naholo ,... they are proven test players,...
I don't think the most important game btwin WCs is the best time to introduce youngs
this is a huge mistake IMO,.... neither of both is ready,... both have problems defending
experience is a very important factor in these kind of games and there are more experienced players in the squad,... Fekitoa, Naholo or even Ioane,... they are proven test players,... this is a huge mistake IMO,.... neither of both is ready,... both have problems defending
experience is a very important factor in these kind of games and there are more experienced players in the squad,... Fekitoa, Naholo or even Ioane,... they are proven test players,...

Got to give the All Black selectors credit for choosing form over reputation. Ngani Laumape has been the stand-out centre of Super Rugby this year and while he made one or two errors, he also caused the Lions a few problems last weekend.
Brave call . . . as is Jordie Barrett.
Go Lions!

Courageous call, Hansen isn't afraid of losing. To me it's high risk but he's building his depth fast. With Jordie on the field he has a better kicker but I would have gone with Fekitoa instead of Laumape.

Lions unchanged . . .

British and Irish Lions: 15 Liam Williams, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Conor Murray; 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Jamie George, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 6 Sam Warburton (c), 7 Sean O'Brien, 8 Taulupe Faletau.

 

Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Courtney Lawes, 20 CJ Stander, 21 Rhys Webb, 22 Ben Te'o, 23 Jack Nowell.

 This is a good article evaluating J. Barrett published by the Telegraph. He has tons of talent and this showed in the Canes game against the Lions, we will see if Hansen's calculated gamble pays off. IMO it will. You have to acknowledge Hansen has balls.

Don't call it a gamble: Why All Blacks youngster Jordie Barrett is a threat to the Lions

•  Charlie Morgan 

5 JULY 2017 • 6:12PM

In 2015, it was Nehe Milner-Skudder side-stepping from relative obscurity into the New Zealand sideto score at Twickenham in the Rugby World Cup final.

Just a fortnight ago, relative rookie Rieko Ioane received a maiden Test start against the British and Irish Lions at Eden Park. Julian Savea, despite his remarkable strike-rate of 46 tries in 53 internationals, was deemed surplus to requirements. The rapid Ioane repaid the faith with a brace as New Zealand won 30-15.

Steve Hansen has not been afraid of fast-tracking big back three talents. Still, the arrival of 20 year-old Jordie Barrett’s in the number 15 shirt for the series-decider on Saturday in the absence of Ben Smith seems extremely bold. Then you delve a little deeper. There is far too much method to call this a gamble.

Barrett, younger brother of Beauden and Scott, starred in the Mitre 10 Cup for champions Canterbury last season and earned a place on New Zealand’s end-of-year tour as a non-playing apprentice - a step that has helped the likes of Ardie Savea integrate in the past.

Hopping from the Crusaders to the Hurricanes, he has seemed assured over 14 appearances in his first Super Rugby campaign. A New Zealand debut duly arrived against Samoa in June, 17 minutes from the bench proving enough for Barrett to showcase his raw ability by sparking the All Blacks’ 12th and final try.

Here, he lines up on the near side to chase TJ Perenara’s box-kick:

Barrett and Brodie Retallick are the only two players in pursuit…

…but the youngster leaps and collects the ball ahead of Ken Pisi…

…before transferring the ball into his right hand and flicking out a 10-metre offload - albeit one that probably travels forward - as Tim Nanai-Williams covers across for Samoa:

Retallick collects and is away:

Two phases later, Sam Cane scored to complete the rout. Clearly, Barrett’s confidence to throw such an audacious pass would have been helped by the match scenario.

However, his offload also speaks volumes for the atmosphere in the New Zealand camp - ambition is evidently encouraged if skills are honed carefully enough.

Barrett has thrown 31 offloads in Super Rugby since January, an average of 2.4 per game. Why curb those instincts at international level? As Wayne Smith recently said: “Creativity is just practice that is camouflaged.”

Hansen’s decision to bring Barrett on tour as an apprentice eight months previously, would have helped the Hurricane settle in and understand that culture and then implement it at the first possible opportunity.

The Lions have already had a glimpse of him on this trip, of course.

Finding edges from tight spaces

Jordie Barrett’s showing against the Lions in Wellington was not perfect This high tackle on Jack Nowell illustrates one of a few mistakes:

However, there were also plenty of positives - one counter-attack in each half demonstrating an acute appreciation of space. Barrett starts in the back-field, receiving this quick throw-in from fly-half Otere Black:

Barrett scans the Lions chase, and jinks towards the near touchline. He is looking to find an edge, so wing George North is the key Lions defender:

Jonathan Joseph presses to shut down the space. Meanwhile, Ngani Laumape calls for the ball and Barrett continues towards this flank, Julian Savea cutting back against the grain on a switch angle:   

Barrett dummies in Savea’s direction…

…before throwing a pass to the left…

…where some fast hands from Vince Aso release Laumape amid the attention of North:

The Lions actually defend this well, but Barrett manages to fashion an opening - as he did in the second period as well.

Versatile enough to be used in a variety of positions across the backline, Barrett is comfortable at first receiver. With Te Toiroa Tahuiorangi in the sin bin at this point, Black assumes scrum-half responsibilities and finds Barrett:

Seeing that Lions wing Jack Nowell has pushed up into the flat-line defence, Barrett drops the ball onto his left foot and lobs the ball towards the far corner:

Full-back Leigh Halfpenny must track across to collect…

…and returns a long clearance:

Having dropped back, Barrett gathers Halfpenny’s kick: 

Looking up and scanning again, he notices that the Lions chase is disjointed. Halfpenny is a long way ahead of CJ Stander close to the far touchline:

Barrett steps to Halfpenny’s right…

…where Laumape has made his way back behind the ball:

Although Halfpenny recovers to make the tackle, Barrett is enough of a running threat to draw in Stander. He then locates Laumape…

…and the Hurricanes have found another edge to get in behind the Lions:

There are more aspects to Barrett’s arsenal besides creative counter-attacking.

Raw materials

Although Steve Hansen declared that Beauden Barrett’s kicking troubles in Wellington did not worry him, the presence of Jordie offers another option - one that is accurate and capable of landing from a range of at least 55 metres.

This was the best strike of his 11-point display against the Lions, sailing through the middle of the posts from close to the right touchline:

Weighing 96 kilograms and standing over six foot, four inches tall, Barrett is a hefty specimen. The Hurricanes have launched him as a lineout target this season, although this size will more likely be put to use at wide breakdowns and on the gain-line this weekend.

Here, as Jack Nowell gets over the ball in the 31-31 draw last week, Barrett is quick to dispose of him:

Later in the same game, with the Hurricanes going through the phases, Barrett watches as two forwards - Mark Abbott and Ben May - slide into position:

They set up an arrangement that has been seen so often this tour, offering themselves in front of Otere Black. However, Barrett creeps flatter outside them:

He darts in, taking the ball directly from scrum-half Te Toiroa Tahuiorangi…

…and busting through a couple of Lions defenders:

A good number of the Hurricanes’ 85 tries this season have featured some combination involving Beauden and Jordie Barrett - whether from a cross-field kick or a looped pass. The Lions will need to shackle both men in Auckland.

Seizing initiative

Players who demand the ball in high-stakes situations, taking it upon themselves to change the game, are spoken about most fondly by coaches and fans.

Already in his short career, Jordie Barrett has demonstrated those qualities. Here, with the Hurricanes 14 points down and close to the Lions line, he glances across to scope the defence:

Barrett then calls to Te Toiroa Tahuiorangi:

And receives the ball…

…before throwing a long pass…

…that out-strips the press of the Lions’ wide defenders and reaches Wes Goosen:

This try, and Barrett’s conversion, brought the Hurricanes to within seven. The hosts went on to draw level and could easily have snatched the game.

As the Lions have found out, the Test arena is a step beyond Super Rugby. Jordie Barrett, barely out of his teens, will find that out on Saturday. Expect him to cope just fine. Steve Hansen’s due diligence is never anything less than thorough.

Match images courtesy of Sky Sports