'He literally had no consideration for his body or the people that were tackling him'

The opening round of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season saw some youngsters grab the spotlight with both hands, not least of which being Blues newcomer Torian Barnes.

Barnes has two years of NPC under his belt with Canterbury, but the 22-year-old was yet to appear in a Super Rugby game when he signed up for the Auckland club’s wider training group over the off-season.

Wider training group members can only suit up as injury replacements, but Cameron Christie and Malachi Wrampling’s respective injuries opened the door for Barnes, and his pre-season form inspired so much confidence that head coach Vern Cotter gave him the starting nod on the blindside flank.

The debutant proceeded to play all 80 minutes, leading the game in carries with 15 while also contributing a dozen tackles without a miss.

The effort caught the attention of ex-All Black Stephen Donald, who admitted he had never heard of the youngster prior to the game.

“There’s been a few headlines already about a certain new No.6, drafted up from Canterbury, Torian Barnes,” the 2011 Rugby World Cup winner said on his YouTube show, The Aftermatch with Kirst & Beav. “Just so, so physical.

“I looked at the team sheet and asked a few people before the game, and a few of our Auckland friends said, ‘Oh, they’re talking about him at training’. Hence why he was starting ahead of someone like (Anton) Segner, who’s been so good for the Blues in the last few years.

“He literally had no consideration for (A) his body, or (B) the people that were tackling him. He just lined up everything.

“We talk about the Blues’ success of a couple of years ago, it was built on big ball-carries. Akira Ioane was massive with that, and I don’t know if they replaced him last year or if they adjusted to life without him.

“Well, this guy, he’s different. He’s probably more of a wider, more rangey carrier, but man, you’ve got something there, something they can build some plays around.

“He’ll get better. There was one opportunity he missed because he didn’t pass to Finlay (Christie) on his inside, but I think he was just in a zone where he was just going to run hard and smash anything he could. It was great to see.

“So, I thought he was outstanding.”

Any big blindside flanker that shows physical dominance in New Zealand, and especially the Blues, is going to draw comparisons to All Blacks great Jerome Kaino.

New Zealand has gone through plenty of flankers since Kaino’s departure in 2018, struggling to replicate the sheer strength that the 196 cm, 110 kg double-World Cup winner brought to the game.

While some found a comparison between Barnes and Kaino following Saturday’s performance, Donald didn’t see it.

“I know they’re probably just crying out for a Blues No.6 to have that physical presence, and in that way, yes, of course, that’s what Jerome did.

“I might be wrong here because Vern (Cotter) told us after the game that Barnes, with his shirt off, just looks pretty normal. Jerome was a physical beast, but I thought Barnes looked bigger than Jerome when I saw him getting interviewed by Mils (Muliaina) on the sideline after the game. So, I didn’t see the similarities in that way.

“And Jerome, when he was young, when we were growing up, he was a midfielder. So his athleticism is ridiculous, his speed, his side-step and all of the rest of it.

“With Barnes last night, he looks pretty thickly set, and he’s just going to find you and see if you can stop him.

“For Blues fans, I hope you’ve got a player who’s as good as, because it’ll be great for New Zealand Rugby as well.”