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Jordie Barrett set for Taranaki debut while brother Beauden in doubt as All Blacks released for Mitre 10 Cup

By Alex McLeod
(Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

All Blacks star Jordie Barrett is in line for his first appearance for his home province of Taranaki in the opening round of the Mitre 10 Cup this weekend.

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Barrett is among a slew of All Blacks who were named in Ian Foster’s 35-man squad on Sunday and have been released to play for their provincial sides across New Zealand over the coming days.

It means that Taranaki’s season-opening clash against Bay of Plenty in Inglewood this Sunday could be the 23-year-old’s first appearance for the Bulls since signing with them three years ago.

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In doing so, he returned to the province of which he was born and grew up in, but Barrett is yet to don the yellow and black jersey after having made his first-class debut for Canterbury as a teenager in 2016.

While Sunday’s match presents a prime opportunity to register his first cap for Taranaki, he may have to do so without the services of older brother Beauden.

The 83-test playmaker is among four players – including Joe Moody, Braydon Ennor (both Canterbury) and All Blacks captain Sam Cane (Bay of Plenty) – who are being assessed by medical staff this week to see whether they can play this weekend.

Two further players – new All Blacks lock Quentin Strange (Tasman) and Dane Coles (Wellington) – are still recovering from respective injuries and will be unavailable for their respective provinces.

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Otherwise, all other members of the All Blacks squad are set to play in New Zealand’s premier domestic competition this weekend.

Auckland appear to have benefitted from this more than any other side in the competition given they welcome back seven All Blacks, more than any other province, into their set-up ahead of their bout with Otago in Dunedin on Saturday.

Elsewhere, star halfback Aaron Smith could make his first appearance for Manawatu in nearly a decade when they face Jack Goodhue’s Northland in Whangarei on Sunday, with the 31-year-old last playing for the Turbos in 2011.

The same can be said of Sam Whitelock, who could play for Canterbury for the first time in 10 years when they open the 2020 campaign against North Harbour in Albany on Friday.

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Dalton Papalii (Counties Manukau) and Sevu Reece (Tasman), meanwhile, are in line to make their debuts for their new provinces after having transferred from Auckland and Waikato, respectively, during the off-season.

All Blacks released to play in the Mitre 10 Cup this weekend:

North Harbour vs Canterbury
7.05PM, Friday 11 September, North Harbour Stadium, Auckland

North Harbour: Karl Tu’inukuafe.
Canterbury: Codie Taylor, Samuel Whitelock, Cullen Grace, Richie Mo’unga and George Bridge.

Waikato vs Wellington
2.05PM, Saturday 12 September, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton

Waikato: Anton Lienert-Brown and Damian McKenzie.
Wellington: Asafo Aumua, Ardie Savea and TJ Perenara.

Otago vs Auckland
Saturday 12 September, 4.35PM, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

Auckland: Alex Hodgman, Ofa Tuungafasi, Patrick Tuipulotu, Akira Ioane, Hoskins Sotutu, Rieko Ioane and Caleb Clarke.

Counties Manukau vs Tasman
Saturday 12 September, 7.35PM, Navigation Homes Stadium, Pukekohe

Counties Manukau: Nepo Laulala and Dalton Papalii.
Tasman: Tyrel Lomax, Shannon Frizell, Sevu Reece and Will Jordan.

Northland vs Manawatu
Sunday 13 September, 2.05PM, Semenoff Stadium, Whangarei

Northland: Jack Goodhue.
Manawatu: Aaron Smith.

Taranaki vs Bay of Plenty
Sunday 13 September, 2.05PM, TET Stadium & Events Centre, Inglewood

Taranaki:  Tupou Vaa’i and Jordie Barrett.

Southland vs Hawke’s Bay
Sunday 13 September, 4.35PM, Rugby Park Invercargill

Hawke’s Bay: Brad Weber.

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J
Jon 30 minutes ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This 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”?

32 Go to comments
j
john 3 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But 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.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks 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

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 7 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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