Sir John Kirwan calls for Beauden Barrett and Brodie Retallick to be benched by All Blacks and urges NZR not to re-sign TJ Perenara
Sir John Kirwan believes Beauden Barrett and Brodie Retallick should be benched by the All Blacks upon their return to New Zealand from Japan later this year.
The former All Blacks wing also believes New Zealand Rugby [NZR] should not re-sign TJ Perenara beyond this year as he said the national union should be looking ahead to the next generation for the upcoming World Cups.
During his appearance on the latest episode of The Breakdown on Monday, Kirwan said Barrett, who is currently on sabbatical with Suntory Sungoliath in Japan’s Top League, is “going to have to get used to” wearing the No 22 jersey after he played off the bench for the Tokyo-based club over the weekend.
Barrett scored a hat-trick of tries and a total of 25 points in an 18-minute showing for Suntory during their 94-31 thrashing of NTT Communications Shining Arcs at Komazawa Olympic Park on Sunday.
However, Kirwan wasn’t convinced that Barrett’s prolific cameo appearance, and his other match-winning efforts in the Top League, validates a starting spot in the All Blacks.
The 56-year-old said both Barrett and Retallick, who is on sabbatical with Kobelco Steelers, shouldn’t be able to walk back into New Zealand’s starting lineup over those currently plying their trade in Super Rugby Aotearoa due to the comparative lack of defensive intensity in the Top League.
“When I said Beaudy [Barrett] stays in 22, there’s no way that the All Blacks selectors would risk them coming back without knowing the intensity of the Japanese league,” Kirwan said.
“Right now, if you look at that, you think, ‘Well, who was tackling out there?’
“Now, I love the Japanese league, I’ve played it, I’ve coached it, it’s fantastic. Maybe a game at the end of the season would sort that out, but Beaudy and Brodie have to come back and sit on the bench.
“You cannot let our guys play through that [Super Rugby Aotearoa] season, while they’re away, and let them come back and take the 10 [jersey].”
Ex-All Blacks wing Jeff Wilson added that there is a considerable gulf in class between teams at the opposite ends of the table in the Top League, which prevents Kiwi stars from playing in matches of the same intensity that is seen in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
He suggested a cross-over match between the champions of the Top League and Super Rugby Trans-Tasman could alleviate that issue, but Kirwan went one step further and called for full-time Japanese involvement in Super Rugby.
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He indicated that if New Zealanders are facing off against each other in the same competition, regardless of which country they are playing in, then it shouldn’t matter where those players are based.
“My issue is this – we need to expand our game to Japan and they need to be part of our competition,” he said.
“If Beaudy wants to stay there and play and Suntory come down here and get smacked by 60 points, we know that it is a financial sabbatical, but if everyone starts playing up there, we’re playing across our borders, then I don’t see why, some time tomorrow, we can’t pick players from our extended competition.”
Perenara, meanwhile, is another All Black on sabbatical in Japan with the resurgent NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes.
The 29-year-old has been crucial in the Red Hurricanes’ change in fortunes this season as he had helped turn the Osaka-based club into genuine title contenders in 2021 after they were on the receiving end of numerous heavy defeats last year.
That didn’t stop Kirwan from urging NZR to not re-sign Perenara, though, as he labelled the 69-test halfback as a player in the “twilight of his career”.
Instead, the former Italy, Japan and Blues head coach suggested the national union’s money would be better invested in younger players, such as injured Highlanders star Folau Fakatava.
“You can’t re-sign Perenara. You cannot re-sign him,” Kirwan said. “I love the man, don’t get me wrong, but who do you want to keep?”
He added: “I think there’s some young guys coming through and, for the next World Cup, I just think, ‘Look, I’d love to sign him, but if it was a case of signing a couple of younger guys that are gonna get us to the next World Cup, as good and on further, then I just think he’s gonna be [left out]’.
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“We’re talking about the World Cup and going forward, right? So, if you think about TJ, he’s been a great servant of the game, he’s getting to the twilight of his career, and, for me, there’s guys who are starting to stack up that are going to give us another two World Cups.
“TJ should be signed, yeah, but at some stage, you’ve got to [weigh up your options].”
Ex-All Blacks fullback Mils Muliaina contested Kirwan’s comments by arguing that if Perenara re-commits to NZR beyond this year and remains one of New Zealand’s top halfbacks leading into the 2023 World Cup, then he couldn’t see why the No 9 shouldn’t be retained.
Kirwan, however, said NZR could retain two promising young halfbacks for less money than it would cost to try and keep Perenara in New Zealand.
“Wouldn’t TJ cost three times as much? That’s what I’m saying. You could probably buy two young guys for his price.”
Upon the announcement of his sabbatical with the Red Hurricanes last October, Perenara said his sojourn in Japan “doesn’t mean it’s the end for me” in New Zealand.
The Red Hurricanes finished the first stage of the Top League in third place on the White Conference standings with four wins from seven matches.
Now entering the play-offs stage of the competition, the Red Hurricanes will square off against the Honda Heat in the round of 16 next Sunday.
Barrett’s Suntory side will also enjoy a week off before facing either NEC Green Rockets or Toyota Shuttles Industries next Saturday.
Retallick’s Kobelco side, meanwhile, will play either the Mitsubishi Dynaboars or Coca-Cola Red Sparks next weekend.
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Comments on RugbyPass
it’ll all be released in an autobiography a few years from now….. “Razor shafted me” blah blah blah. thinking of making Scott Barrett captain might be a good move. Could calm down his brain fades & make him an even better player for them
3 Go to commentsSadly he played far too many games too young. England and France really do need to look after their younger players better.
1 Go to commentsHaving finally been able to watch the first Chasing the Sun (thanks RugbyPass!) - because I refuse to pay DSTV's extortionate monthly fee in SA - after four years, it was amazing to see Mapimpi's story as well as seeing my personal hero, Rassie, breaking down when telling it. There _is_ hope for the country, but only once we've got rid of the crooked and incompetent ANC (and others) who have set out to destroy it. Viva Rassie, viva Kolisi viva rugby!
1 Go to commentsWhether true or not, all the best to you Sam Cane. A warrior of a player and a loyal servant to the ABs! Go get you some yen and have some fun.
3 Go to commentsThe game was changing too much with teams trying to role the dice drawing fouls. Would be better if scrums and the adjudicating problems were resolved but this is a good immediate fix.
37 Go to commentsLike many here I am encouraged by this post. Our forwards are where the real rewards and improvements must come from. With a 50/50 pack against any opposition, our backs could ensure more than 50% of the games will be won. We need Valetini at 6 and Cale at 8 to make the most or a good tight 5, McWright will add to the effectiveness of the pack BUT must get a very good tight 5 out there first.
106 Go to commentsThe key point I think that is missing is that if Joseph wants to guarantee a Lions spot, he really has to play wing in his first year. He is easily going to nail down whatever he wants to do, but with just half a season, how much of a factor he proves to be in the Lions series could be dictated by this initial choice of playing position.
8 Go to commentsthe game was 2 weeks before the challenge cup final. I really don’t believe they needed to rest that many players.
1 Go to commentsI really feel like neither of the Vunipolas is given the respect they deserve. I would have liked to see both of them get a few more caps than they have gotten in the past couple of years, but unfortunately the fact that they both peaked young has meant that for a number of years they have been perceived as disappointments. When they are both retired, in the cold light of day they will be recognised as two of the best players of their generation of any nation.
2 Go to commentsthis generation of saracens players could produce some really incredible coaches. When Farrell retires he could walk into any premiership team as a defence, attack, or kicking coach. Itoje could make it as a defence or a lineout coach, and Jamie George as a lineout or scrum coach. The problem the Vunipolas are going to have is that its not clear what their coaching speciality would be. Neither are great in the set piece, and while they were good in attack and defence, they were never tactical masterminds. Perhaps contact skills would be their ideal brief? Mako perhaps could work in strength & conditioning, but Billy has a bit of a reputation for not taking that side of the game seriously.
2 Go to commentsA very good player.We are finally getting some balance in our team. Plummer..Heem ..Lam a solid..experienced combo who take the sensible options consistently. Clarke was a grt impact of the bench option until Lam moved to 13 to replace an injured Reiko. Cotter is doing a grt job building his team. .
1 Go to commentsSaturday was last straw. Terrible record in Premiership since Jan 23. Capitulation against Bath at home. There are 3 conclusions. Players aren't good enough. Coaching team aren't good enough or combination of both.
2 Go to commentsAs you say in your article Brett, the point was Hamish and his vanity - plain and simple. The crazy bit is that sua’ali’i has to be probably twice the player of mark N, no easy feat, just for RA to get their money's worth!?! And as you say, tahs aren't short of wingers, props on the other hand id like to see $1.6m spent on. I still shake my head at the absolute carry on in the media and comments section around the boon of getting sua’ali’i and the revenue it'd generate. It was all such hogwash imo and short sighted, real sugar hit stuff. And wasnt Waugh (and others) on the board at the time this money was spent? You say silver bullet, I'd say sugar hit but without the flavour.
8 Go to commentsNZR should play hard all a bit with some of these players and make them sign up to the next world cup. If they won’t, offer it to someone who will. Because what happens is the NH (especially France) swoop on a bunch of nz players coming off contract, weakening their depth, and nz scrambles less than 2 years out trying to get replacements up to speed.
1 Go to commentsNo thanks. Savea almost always leaves easy points out there and goes for the corner, no matter how many times it’s not working. He claimed he took “the learnings” from this when he kept making the same mistake against the Boks a few years ago. Then went out the very next week and did the same thing and SA snatched victory because of it. Years later he still does it, right up to and including the world cup final. Great player, not so great rugby nous.
10 Go to commentsIt certainly wasn't a rhetorical masterpiece coming from big E …. (just as a side remark: Eben is the better player, Siya by far the better talker - maybe that's why they don't seem to like each other very much) …. but could we please move on?
71 Go to commentsMan who wasn't there and hasn't held a conversation with those who were present weighs in on dead rubber debate and is presented as representative of the Irish Rugby Union’s spokesperson on subject he has no apparent knowledge of whatsoever.
71 Go to commentsanybody who bends at the waist when they tackle
6 Go to commentsThe evidence is not strong that this is necessary. Mounga choked on clutch kicks in the WRC final and lost the match by not performing his core goal kicking role to the level required. He also choked in the Semi final against England and was targeted as the weak point in the defence allowing them to score. Not a test great frankly. Why bend the rules for a player that is competent but not brilliant at test level?
11 Go to commentsDear Robbie, Please return to the Crusaders next season. Sincerely, Scott
1 Go to comments