Former All Blacks full-back Israel Dagg says that he “loved” Stuart Barnes’ article where the ex-England fly-half wrote that he would pick Marcus Smith over Beauden Barrett “any day of the week”.
Barrett is regarded as one of the greats of the modern game having played over 130 times for the All Blacks but Barnes believes that England’s playmaker has overtaken the 33-year-old.
Marcus Smith > Beauden Barrett
The outspoken pundit wrote in his Times column that Scott Robertson would not be selecting Barrett in the number 10 position if he had another viable option and believes that Smith is “simply the better fly-half.”
“I would pick Marcus Smith over Beauden Barrett ten times out of ten. The Harlequin is simply the better fly-half at this juncture in rugby history,” he wrote.
He added: “Listing them in an all-time pantheon, Barrett would hold a lofty position. Smith wouldn’t figure. Not yet. The Kiwi has been one of the most dazzling rugby players to lace a pair of boots this century.
“Yet Smith is — if you think he has the rugby brain and trained instincts to add the extra dimension to England’s game — the future.
“Barrett is not so much the past, but rather the sticking plaster that is expected to hold the current team together.”
Stuart Barnes: Marcus Smith a ‘better fly-half’ than ‘sticking plaster’ Beauden Barrett in withering assessment of All Blacks legend
Barrett’s former teammate Dagg and commentator Scotty Stevenson provided their reaction to the article and admitted that there was some merit to the criticism.
However, Stevenson added: “It’s a brave man to write Beauden Barrett off.”
Dagg: “I absolutely love it”
As for Dagg, he believes that the article will spur Barrett in the same way it did for Dan Carter ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Carter was also in the twilight of his career for the tournament, which would be his last in the All Blacks jersey, but he starred throughout as New Zealand became the first team to clinch back-to-back World Cups.
“I love that article, I absolutely love it, write it and say what you want,” Dagg said on SENZ’s Scotty & Izzy.
“I know when we read and heard a lot of people writing off DC [Dan Carter] heading into the 2015 World Cup: He is injured, he is over the hill, etcetera and he went on to produce an absolute clinic at the World Cup.
“Don’t get me wrong, when you are ageing and you get to the end of your career, you get knee problems, you’re going to lose a certain amount of speed but you’ll never lose the mind and the ability to anticipate where the ball has got to be and needs to be for your team.
“It’s like a game of chess. You’re always going to be three or four steps ahead of the opposition to try and plan your move and that’s where I get a lot of confidence from Beauden, knowing that he’s been out there for 130-odd Test matches.
“He knows how to deal with the pressure and he knows how to play rugby a certain way.”
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Fair point
Dagg revealed that he too had doubts over his ability and pace during the latter stages of his career but said that a conversation with former All Blacks’ mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka shifted his view.
“I remember having this conversation with Gilbert Enoka in Ireland and I said: ‘Mate, I’m getting a bit old and I just can’t keep up with these younger guys’. He looked me straight in the eyes and said: ‘Yes, you are older that a lot of these guys but no one can read the game and anticipate the game like you, that comes with experience’,” the former All Black continued.
“I will never forget that conversation…I might not have had the razzle-dazzle that I did when I was 21 but I still know how to play the game and I’m a very deep thinker when it comes to rugby.
“So, I get the confidence from Beaudy in that regard and he [Barnes] made a fair point, he hasn’t played 10 at all. When was the last time he played 10? Yes, against the Wallabies, but when did he have absolute ounces of time in that position? It’s been a hell of a long time.”
Stevenson enthused that Barrett’s skillset is tailor-made for how the current All Blacks want to play but added that the veteran back plays his best rugby when he is given multiple options and does not need to create or force a miracle play.
“He has just never had it on lockdown [the starting fly-half role] has he? He has had moments when you thought oh he is the future… there was a point certainly after that 2015 World Cup when he thought that jersey was going to be his as of right and he has been pulled between pillar and post in terms of where he sits in that All Blacks system,” Stevenson said.
“I would say one thing; if the All Blacks can impose their game plan, which is flooding that line against England and really flooding them and putting pressure on that rush defence, putting bodies right on that advantage line, finding the gaps, taking on weak shoulders, pop balls – Beauden Barrett can have an absolute field day.”
All Blacks can exploit England’s defence
Dagg agreed with his co-host and said that he spotted opportunities for the All Blacks to punish England with Steve Borthwick’s side implementing a blitz defence.
“From that English series, there were acres of space on the edges, the English bring a lot of heat with their defensive system, which the Irish are accustomed to,” he said.
“But there is a lot of space there, so don’t be afraid to put those little kicks through which Stuart Barnes has already talked about that he has lost the ability to chip it over the top or put the ball behind them or be brave with your lines.
“If you are able to get over that advantage line on the first phase, second phase, they cannot line speed two or three times in a row. If you are constantly going backwards, that takes the speed out of it – execution is important.”
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