Ex-All Black captain Barrett named to play for first time in 10 months

Former All Black captain Scott Barrett will play for Taranaki this weekend marking his first game of professional rugby in 10 months.

The 32-year-old will make just his second appearance ever for the Bulls when they play Hawke’s Bay in Napier.

Barrett had surgery only months ago, a discectomy to treat a bulging disc which caused issues for the left side of his body.

“[The injury] depowered my left side so I couldn’t really run and do the things required for my job as a rugby player so yeah, it’s nice to be in a position to pull on the jersey and represent Taranaki again,” he told 1 News.

After finishing the 2025 season in November with the All Blacks against Wales, Barrett went on a contractual non-playing sabbatical that lasted six months before needing surgery, delaying his return.

As a result the former captain hasn’t yet played under new coach Dave Rennie, missing the July Nations Championship fixtures and the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour of South Africa.

Barrett said the departure of Scott Robertson impacted him negatively, reflecting on his time as captain. He said he’s put that chapter behind him and will give everything should he be called upon again.

“It was a challenging sort of 10 months, probably a challenging year to be honest, for me personally,” he said.

“You have a close relationship with a head coach and when there’s, the team isn’t quite going that well and there’s a change like that, you probably reflect a little bit personally as your role is skipper at the time.”

“There was several conversations with Dave and I think ultimately that he made the decision and that was a different direction with Ardie.

“I’ve had time to reflect and probably learn from that and ultimately put that behind me.

“If there’s an opportunity to wear the black jersey again, I’ll certainly give everything I’ve got for that team should that opportunity arise.”

The All Blacks begin their Bledisloe Cup campaign on October 10 at Eden Park, followed by a return Test in Sydney the following week.

Should Barrett get through his NPC return, odds are he will join the squad following a host of injuries on the South Africa tour, including to new captain Ardie Savea.