Excitement and expectation reign around Alfie Barbeary, but so should caution
The name Alfie Barbeary is a surprisingly well-known one in English rugby.
It’s surprising because Barbeary is still just 18, currently attends Bloxham School in Oxfordshire and is not yet even a professional rugby player.
That’s what a meteoric rise, highlights videos shared on social media platforms and a bag-full of talent and potential will get you.
He is a rarity, though, in that he’s on so many people’s radars at such a young age. Rugby isn’t like football or a host of US sports, where players are scouted publicly in the media whilst still at school, and even when rugby players leave school and turn professional, they don’t tend to turn any heads until they are entrenched in a senior squad, playing semi-regular Gallagher Premiership rugby.
What is it, then, that separates Barbeary from so many of his contemporaries?
The hooker arrived into the awareness of those who follow the age-grade game in 2017 when, as an U16, he displayed a remarkable level of comfort playing with and against players two years his senior. He consolidated that in 2018, taking on the mantle of captaincy with both Wasps and England U18s sides, before arriving in the public consciousness this season, having featured for Wasps’ senior side in the Premiership Cup and Shield competitions, as well as making his England U20 debut against Scotland.
It’s a remarkable achievement for any U18 player to be rubbing shoulders with the seniors and he’s not the only one to do so this season, with Bath’s Max Ojomoh, Leicester Tigers’ Freddie Steward and Northampton Saints’ Josh Gillespie among the others to have made that leap. The difference is, they’re all backs. To be playing in the front row in the seniors whilst still at school, that’s a different ball-game.
If you look at how and why he has made that leap, it reinforces why people are understandably getting excited about what the future may hold for the front rower.
The first box that is ticked is the physicality one. Just as he was comfortable as an U16 mixing it with U18s back in 2017, the physical side of his game has shown up well in the U20 and senior opportunities he has been given. He has speed that some hookers can only dream of and that combination of strength, speed and the ensuing power, mean that he has a playing style that can influence any kind of game. Whether it’s picking and going around the fringes or stepping out into the back line, he is always looking to – and is capable of – making a positive impact in a variety of ways.
Technically, he is also adept across the board. He fulfils the core requirements at the scrum and the lineout well, carries incredibly proficiently and has footwork that allows him to break tackle after tackle. Once that tackle is broken or the collision is won, he has the awareness and ability to get offloads away, some that seem to defy the laws of physics, and he is not a retiring tight five forward in space, either, with a kicking game that matches up with plenty of back line players at his level. All of these areas can, and almost certainly will be improved, but as a foundation goes, it’s a pretty strong and wide-ranging one.
As for the mental side of the game, he seems to have coped extremely well with the growing focus on him from fans, media and senior coaches. At his age, it would be easy for something like that to go to his head, but by all indications, he has his nose to the grindstone and is continuing to hone his craft. The improvements he has made over the last two years have been clear for anyone watching to see.
There is evidently a self-confidence there, too, and that’s one of the biggest battles won when attempting to make that transition from juniors to seniors. A great example of that from this season would be Worcester Warriors’ Ollie Lawrence, who has believed in himself and backed his ability to replicate his junior skill set at the senior level. There are times when these things will need to be tempered, but there is no point, as a junior player, going into the seniors and trying to be something you’re not. It’s being the player that you were at the junior levels that got you to where you are now. When young players start to second guess themselves, that’s often when they get themselves into trouble on the pitch.
Broadly, without going into the intricacies of every technical aspect of his game, this is why Barbeary has been rewarded with the opportunities he has so far, and why people are legitimately excited.
For this many people, who don’t follow the age-grade circus each season, to be talking about a player still at U18 level is almost unheard of. If you take the last seven or so years, no one in English rugby has received this kind of a spotlight at this age.
Maro Itoje was on radars at the U20 level but wasn’t really a major topic of conversation until he had lifted the Junior World Championship in 2014, whilst Jack Walker, as a three-year starter in the front row at U20 level, was talked about by some media outlets and fans quite early, but neither to the extent that Barbeary already has been.
That’s in part down to the acceleration of players going straight from school to senior rugby, as demonstrated by the likes of Ben and Tom Curry, Nick Isiekwe and Marcus Smith among others, but also that there is something special about Barbeary that sets him apart from a number of the players that have come before him.
To be as physical as he has been at the U18 level and not cruise or become reliant upon that, instead working hard to upskill technically, is a credit to him and the coaching staffs at Wasps, Bloxham School and Banbury Rugby Club. There are always well-rounded players at U18 level but there are also players who will lean too heavily on their physical abilities and perhaps don’t pay due diligence to the other areas of their game that they should. This is often found out when that player then tries to make the leap to the seniors, struggles to win physically, and consequently they do not have that technical safety net in place to catch them.
In that regard, there are definitely shades of Itoje about the 18-year-old. The technical game backing up impressive physicality and athleticism, a clear comfort in a leadership role and the self-belief to take the increasingly more difficult steps up in quality of opponent, within his sizeable stride.
There should be an element of caution, though.
Many a promising career has been derailed by overexposure too early and Wasps will have to manage that mix of expectations, both internally and externally, carefully.
The club have struggled to bring through homegrown players in recent seasons and there has been a noticeable disconnect between the academy and the senior side, and whilst both do solid work in isolation, creating a more productive pathway between the two has to be a priority for the Coventry-based club. Barbeary could, understandably, be the spearhead of those efforts.
Jack Willis took his chance when it came calling, thanks to injuries to Sam Jones, James Haskell and Thomas Young at the time, but from the outside, it certainly looked opportunistic, rather than pre-planned. Will Stuart’s emergence took longer than many expected, and he is now off to Bath at the end of the season, whilst the likes of Piers O’Conor, Ehize Ehizode, Tom Howe and Alec Hepburn are others to have left the club early in their careers. There are a multitude of factors involved in those decisions and not all of them are Wasps’ fault, but the lack of a productive pathway has certainly hurt the club as they have tried, and failed, to keep pace with Saracens and Exeter Chiefs.
Barbeary is not going to singlehandedly change that overnight, but he can be a posterboy for what the pathway could be like at the club. Tom Cruse has re-signed, Tommy Taylor will still be in Coventry next season and Ashley Johnson is comfortable at hooker, so there shouldn’t be a need to put too much, too early on Barbeary’s shoulders, but equally, it feels as if there will be opportunities there if he proves himself ready in preseason and the Premiership Cup and Shield competitions.
The other variable to take into account is the challenge of transitioning to the seniors in the front row specifically. It is the most physically-demanding and brutally attritional position to do so on the rugby pitch and early success does not always correlate with long-term benefit. Christopher Tolofua was rushed through as an 18-year-old in France, before facing struggles of his own at Toulouse and Saracens, whilst Walker’s career has thus far been blighted by injury, with his true potential still to be realised. Couple that with the regular challenges of turning professional, with rugby going from a hobby and a passion to being the daily grind of your job, and it’s a tough task for even the most talented of players.
Wasps are in a rebuild, there’s no other way to look at it, and Barbeary can be a foundation piece in that restructuring, but he is not, on his own, a cure for all of the club’s ailments over recent seasons.
If you’re a Wasps fan, be excited about this guy, because he is a very good rugby player and he represents what Wasps could build in the years to come with the right connected thinking across all departments, but also just because he is fun to watch. You will enjoy watching games with him in more than you will enjoy watching games without him. It’s as simple as that.
Be optimistic, just don’t put the burden of expecting miracles solely on his shoulders.
As for Barbeary himself, he finished up his commitments with the England U18 side on Sunday, helping them to a 33-12 victory over France at Cheshunt RFC, as the U18s now prepare for the Six Nations festival and turn their attentions to the U17s, who will make up the side that tour South Africa in the summer.
A World Rugby U20 Championship in Argentina looms on the horizon for Barbeary, who will be competing with Samson Ma’asi, Nic Dolly, Will Capon and Ben Atkins for one of probably just two hooker positions in the squad.
Then will come preseason with Wasps and the start of his professional career. It’s one we will all watch with anticipation.
Watch: Eddie Jones is frustrated by England’s mental lapses
Comments on RugbyPass
I think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
5 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
5 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
5 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
33 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to commentsThis is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?
35 Go to commentsWow, didn’t realise there was such apathy to URC in SA, or by Champions Cup teams. Just read Nick’s article on Crusaders, are Sharks a similar circumstance? I think SA rugby has been far more balanced than NZs, no?
2 Go to commentsBut here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.
33 Go to commentsIt could be coincidental or prescient that the All Blacks most dominant period under Steve Hansen was when the Crusaders had their least successful period under Todd Blackadder and then the positions reversed when Razor took over the Crusaders.
33 Go to commentsDefinitely sound read everybodyexpects immediate results these days, I don't think any team would travel well at all having lost three of the most important game changers in the game,compiled with the massive injury list they are now carrying, good to see a different more in depth perspective of a coaches history.
3 Go to commentsSinckler is a really big loss for English rugby.
2 Go to commentsThanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause
33 Go to commentsNo way. If you are trying to picture New Zealand rugby with an All Blacks mindset, there have been two factors instrumental to the decline of NZ rugby to date. Those are the horror that the Blues have become and, probably more so, the fixture that the Crusaders became. I don’t think it was healthy to have one team so dominant for so long, both for lack of proper representation of players from outside that environment and on the over reliance on players from within it. If you are another international side, like Ireland for example, sure. You can copy paste something succinct from one level to the next and experience a huge increase in standards, but ultimately you will not be maximizing it, which is what you need to perform to the level the ABs do. Added to that is the apathy that develops in the whole game as a result of one sides dominance. NZ, Super, and Championship rugby should all experience a boom as a result of things balancing out. That said, there is a lot of bad news happening in NZ rugby recently, and I’m not sure the game can be handled well enough here to postpone the always-there feeling of inevitable decline of rugby.
33 Go to commentsNo SA supporter miss Super Rugby - a product that is experiencing significant head wind in ANZ - the competition from rival codes are intense, match attendance figures are at a historical low and the negativity of commentators such as Kirwan and Wilson have accelerated the downward spiral in NZ. After the next RWC in 2027 sponsors will follow Qantas and start leaving in droves.
2 Go to commentsLike others, I am not seeing the connection between this edition of the Crusaders and the All Blacks future prospects under Razor. I think the analysis of the Crusaders attack recently is helpful because Razor and his coaching team used to be able to slot new guys in to their systems and see them succeed. Several of Razor’s coaches are still there so it would be surprising if the current attack and set piece has been overhauled to a great extent - but based on that analysis, it may have been. Whether it is too many new guys due to injuries or retirement or a failure of current Crusaders systems is the main question to be answered imo. It doesn’t seem relevant for the ABs.
33 Go to commentsharry potter is set in stone. he creates stability and finishes well. exactly what schmidt likes. he’s the ben smith of australian rugby. i think it could quite easily be potter toole and kellaway for the foreseeable future.
5 Go to commentsThis is short sighted from Clayton if you ask me, smacks of too much preseason planning and no adaptability. What if DMac is out for a must win match, are they still only going to bring their best first five and playmaker on late in the game? Trusting the game to someone who wasn’t even part of planning (they would have had Trask pinned in as Jacomb preseason). Perhaps if the Crusaders were better they would not have done this, but either way imo you take this opportunity to play a guy you might need starting in a final rather than having their 12th game getting comfortable coming off the bench.
1 Go to comments