Neil Barnes on Beauden Barrett: 'He's earned his stripes from what he does on the paddock'

All Blacks senior assistant coach Neil Barnes has defended the selection of 145-Test veteran Beauden Barrett, after the playmaker was named in the 34-man squad to take on the Wallabies in the Bledisloe Cup.

Barnes, who is part of the All Blacks selection panel alongside Dave Rennie and Sir Graham Henry, had a straight-shooting response to why the playmaker was selected.

Barrett was named in the outside-backs group, while the Highlanders’ Josh Jacomb and the Crusaders’ Richie Mo’unga were named as the squad’s “first-fives”.

The Blues playmaker predominantly featured at fullback during his limited minutes in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, but clearly remains a possible option at No.10 with Ruben Love out with an ankle injury.

Speaking to Millsy & Guy on Sport Nation NZ, Barnes made it clear why Barrett made the squad.

“Because he’s the next best player. It’s pretty simple. It’s not a charity, as Simon Parker said at some stage,” Barnes said.

“He’s not there being looked after, for us. He’s the next best player in the positions that he’s covering at the moment, and has that experience to bring onto the paddock.

The All Blacks’ 2IC suggested that their decision may have been different at another stage of the Rugby World Cup cycle.

“Yeah. If you were saying straight up, we had a World Cup in three years or something. You might say, well, let’s invest in the next cab off the rank, but the World Cup is next year, and right at the moment, the other guys haven’t passed him.

“So I can promise you that he’s not being looked after. He’s earned his stripes from what he does on the paddock.”

Despite naming Love at No.10 for the first six Tests of the 2026 season under Rennie, the All Blacks will be forced to pivot in October, with only Jacomb and Mo’unga named as the team’s first fives.

When asked about the first-five race, Barnes said that if you look at the first six Tests of the year, it was clear who their No.1 guy was.

“I think at that time over in South Africa, we actually thought Ruben was the best person for the job because Richie had just come back in, was getting his feet under the table,” Barnes told Sport Nation on Tuesday.

“It was probably aligned to his ankle. He had a big load, and we actually thought at that stage Richie had got his head around everything we were doing, and we’re all aligned. And it was time to give him that opportunity to see what he can do.

“So we’re just so lucky to have a person with that experience to fall back on. You’ve still got a person with 145 Test caps sitting there that can step up.

“There’s been Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie, who’s more than useful at 10 as well. Jacomb coming in underneath. We’re blessed for what we’ve got there, so there’s a lot of options.

“So at the moment, obviously, Richie [Mo’unga] would have the front running.”