'A disgrace': Jordie Barrett's frustrations with 2019 stadium eviction
All Black Jordie Barrett has, for the first time, revealed all the details of his two ‘brushes with the law’ from earlier in his career.
In 2018, following a game between the Hurricanes and Highlanders in Dunedin, Barrett and a friend accidentally wandered into the wrong house in the early hours of the morning after Barrett’s friend mistook the home for that of someone he knew.
A year later, Barrett was ushered out of the Melbourne Cricket Ground after polishing off half a can of beer during the Boxing Day Test between New Zealand and Australia.
While nothing ultimately came of either incident – with the former a simple mix-up and the latter a case of overzealous stadium security – they were stressful times for Barrett, who turned 24 earlier this year.
Speaking on the latest episode of James Marshall’s What a Lad podcast, Barrett went in-depth explaining both episodes and vented his understandable frustrations with what went down at the Boxing Day Test.
On the ‘McDonald’s incident’, Barrett admitted it was “not my best work”.
“I’m not sure whether we’d won or lost the game… Anyway, it’s irrelevant,” he said. “The team had a big night at [Dunedin bar] Vault 21, just a big night post-game, a few beers. To be honest, all I was after was a graze so I was with a mate and I think we Ubered to McDonalds and got a feed and then just went for a walk and just enjoyed being out in Dunedin. Just walked and talked on the street.
“He thought he’d known a person that was in the flat so thought it’d be a good idea to walk in there at about 3 in the morning. I’d never been to Dunedin before. Whether it was their house or not, the door was open. We parked up, had the food, stood up, left, went down the road and then there was a couple of red and blue lights flashing behind us and that’s basically all the story has. Still, to this day, [I’m] obviously remorseful and sorry for the concern to have caused those people but there wasn’t much to it, to be honest.
“I think they must have obviously heard people inside their house. I didn’t speak to anyone face to face. Obviously a little bit silly but didn’t cause too much harm to anyone. They must have heard someone in their lounge or come through the front door so they called the cops and we’d walked 100 metres down the road and they were after us.”
Will Jordan has opened up on being denied the chance to play at fullback for the All Blacks by incumbent stars Jordie Barrett and Damian McKenzie. #AllBlacks https://t.co/Pt6dNH2BLJ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 8, 2021
The pair were released from police custody after giving their explanation for the ‘break-in’ and Barrett kept the story to himself, hoping that would be the last anyone would hear of it. However, the news got out, somehow, and Barrett had to make an appearance in front of media to explain what had happened.
“[I] walked back to the hotel, tail between the legs,” Barrett told Marshall. “I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want to get in trouble and I was hoping the police didn’t tell the media.
“I don’t know how it got out to the media anyway. I’d thought I’d escaped it but I got a call from Tony Ward, the Hurricanes manager, at about 4:30 the following afternoon after the team had got back from the hotel and I was sitting in my lounge, hadn’t even told anyone yet, and he said, ‘Mate, what’s happened? Why were you at a police station last night?’ I basically told him what I told you and then I had Darren Shand, the All Blacks manager calling me, and then Joe Locke, the All Blacks media manager calling me and then I had to stand up and front media a day later.
“It wasn’t my best work but it’s all learning, eh?”
While the home’s occupants had obviously been given a scare, it was clearly a simple mistake from Barrett and his friend, and was a ‘victimless crime’ at worst.
Regarding the incident at the MCG, however, Barrett hadn’t even overstepped any lines.
He and a group of his former university flatmates had reunited for a holiday in Australia and headed to the MCG for the Boxing Day Test and after Barrett, who was cheered on by a crowd, downed half a can of beer, he and his friends were asked to leave.
“[We’d] had a couple of big days of viewing and big days of grogging so then we went around to … Bay 13 at the MCG – there were heaps of Kiwis down there, right down the bottom, in the sun, late in the afternoon,” Barrett explained.
“To be honest, I just wanted some fresh air. Body and head and guts was under it. I just went down there, everyone just took their kit off, lathered in sublock and parked up and watched the cricket. We were probably there for a good hour or so with all these other Kiwis chanting and whatnot.
“I’m just trying to find some peace and quiet and then one of them recognised me under my hat and sunnies and about 100 of them just turned around and chanted my name and basically ‘see it off’ [finish your drink]. I’m there with sitting half a unit of I think it was Great Northern … I’m sitting there in my chair and reluctantly – I didn’t even stand up, just sat there in my queue, finished the unit and then thought it was happy days.
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“They bowled another ball and whatnot and then [the crowd] started chanting to someone else and then some little security guard comes down and taps me on the shoulder and he’s like ‘Mate, you’ve got to go’. I’m thinking ‘I’ve gotta go where? Gotta go get another four beers?’ He’s like ‘Mate, you’ve got to go’.
“So all my mates naturally started parking up a little bit, thinking ‘This is a disgrace – what’s happening? Why is he getting kicked out?’ But I knew kind of what could have been at stake if I’d kicked up a big fuss and some people around there might have recognised me and what not so I just put my shoes on, put my shirt on, all the other boys put their kit on and we just slowly walked out in a wee huddle.
“Basically, security dragged us out and then stood outside the MCG getting questioned by the police which I thought was a disgrace. Basically, I said, ‘What are we getting questioned for?’ And the police just said ‘Look, it’s now our decision, it’s not our matter, we just have to follow up the procedure of any incidents where stadium security kick people out.'”
Barrett’s crew headed home, tidied up and went out to a pub to finish off watching the test and then, as had happened a year prior, he received a few phone calls.
“[My] phone started going off again and it might have been Joe Locke, All Blacks media manager again, and then Tony Ward again asking ‘What’s happened? What’s going on over there?’ I’m thinking ‘This is deja vu.'”
While Barrett again didn’t suffer any significant consequence, the incident left him understandably frustrated – and he wasn’t overly happy with how it was reported in the media either.
“The thing that didn’t sit well with me was the headlines were ‘drunken’ or ‘disorderly’ or ‘alcohol-related incident’ with me in that stadium and that was tagged to my name,” he said.
“I wouldn’t have minded if one of them actually just called me up and just asked me what had happened – get my side out there. I was about to put it out through my own social media channels what had happened but thought ‘Look, the horse has bolted here. Everything’s out there, I’ll just try and enjoy the next three or four days with my mates.’ So we made sure we did that.
After a video and countless first-person accounts from the public came to light of the incident, fans were quick to jump to the support of Barrett, with the hashtag #JusticeforJordie still doing the rounds on Twitter every now and then.
Listen to Jordie Barrett’s interview on the What A Lad podcast below:
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments