LONG READ Jordie Barrett: 'People say I need to play like Ma’a Nonu, but I can't physically play like Ma’a Nonu'

The hotel lobby fills up with black jerseys as a group of holiday-makers return from a day of sightseeing in Buenos Aires. Fresh out of a press conference, All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson mingles with the travelling fans as they wait for the lift. Occasionally, members of the squad make their way through the crowded room, identifiable only by their towering frames.

Jordie Barrett arrives for this interview in the hotel’s basement, far from the hubbub above our heads. Barrett seems happier away from the crowds and the mania which comes with being an All Black. Stardom wasn’t something he ever chose, but when you make your debut for New Zealand at the age of 20 and your surname is Barrett, stardom is inevitably thrust upon you.

In the eight years since he made his first start for his country at full-back against the Lions, Barrett has evolved into one of the game’s finest players. Having started in five of the seven positions across the backline, Barrett seems as though he is finally making the 12 jersey his own. Saturday’s loss to Argentina was his 26th start at centre, overtaking the 25 starts he has made at full-back.

“I feel comfortable enough in both positions, but that obviously doesn’t guarantee performance at an international level —rugby’s so tough at the highest level these days,” he says. “I feel like I’ve got a deep understanding of the game, which helps, but I guess I just want to play one of those positions the best I can if it grants me a starting All Black jersey. At the moment that’s 12, and my challenge is to hold on to that for as long as I can.”

I’ll say this respectfully, your job description as an international winger probably isn’t as broad as an international midfielder.

Like many before him, Barrett learned the ropes out wide before moving into midfield. Former All Blacks Tana Umaga, Ma’a Nonu, and Barrett’s teammate Rieko Ioane spent time on the wing prior to establishing themselves as international centres. As someone who has passed through this most challenging of international probations, Barrett is well placed to reflect on the demands of his current position.

“I guess there’s been a trend throughout the years, and maybe that’s just been a coincidence, or [due to] the fact that it gives you an opportunity to grow your understanding of the game. I’ll say this respectfully, your job description as an international winger probably isn’t as broad as an international midfielder.”

Nobody who has ever watched Barrett could doubt the breadth of his skillset. His 6ft 5ins frame is comparable to that of his second row brother, Scott, while his dominance under the high ball has made him a virtually unique asset when it comes to retrieving kick-offs. When you add in sharp footwork, a varied kicking game, and an eye for the line which has yielded 25 Test tries, it is hard to see any weaknesses. Yet at times his versatility has made it difficult to nail down a starting jersey.

“For years there’s been calls that I need to play like Ma’a Nonu, but I can’t physically play like Ma’a Nonu. I certainly don’t want to be put into a box and told this is a way that a 12 is meant to play.”

Even if Barrett were blessed with the same attributes as the famed Nonu, he believes comparisons with the past overlook the ways in which the sport has changed.

“I think the game has evolved over the last few years. I’m trying to develop a skillset and I feel like I’m getting there. If I need to kick to someone I can, if I need to pass to someone I can, if I want to get my hands through an offload I can, if I want to beat someone I can, that’s where I want to get to as a midfielder and I feel like that’s important in today’s game.”

Such comparisons are never helpful for players. In a fight between the present and the past, nostalgia invariably wins. Fortunately for Barrett, he is better placed than most to deal with comparisons. His brother Beauden is a former world player of the year, while Scott is the current captain of the All Blacks. They have been a constant in Jordie’s rugby life, and one for which he seems endlessly grateful.

“I’ve leaned on my brothers at times. It’s not just the 80-minute performance you see on Saturday, it’s the times when you’re away from home in hotels on tours where most guys just have teammates and mates and I’m pretty lucky to be able to say that throughout my career I’ve had my brothers there as well. It’s been pretty special.”

At any given opportunity I try to jump in the car or jump on a plane and head up to the farm and just get away from rugby.”

Only one set of brothers, Portugal’s Gonçalo and Vasco Uva, have won a century of international caps. Beauden has far surpassed that total, while Scott and Jordie are both within 30 appearances. In a country replete with rugby records and icons, the Barrett family is closing in on a piece of sporting history entirely their own.

“It’s not something we’ve spoken about together, but on a Tuesday morning when you sit there in a team announcement and Scott’s name will come up and the thoughts pop into your mind that would be pretty cool to be able to join Beaudie and be an All Blacks centurion and hopefully join Scott if things work out that way too, so that would be unbelievable.”

If, as they say, comparison is the thief of joy, it seems nobody has told Barrett, who seems entirely at ease in his role as the youngest member of a rugby dynasty. He waves away any suggestion his recent stint with Leinster was motivated by a desire to step out of his brothers’ shadow, insisting Ireland’s golf courses were a much stronger draw.

Golf may be a common way elite players switch off, but the Barrett brothers share another, less common, pastime when they’re off duty.

“My mum and dad live in Taranaki on the farm where we were brought up so at any given opportunity I try to jump in the car or jump on a plane and head up to the farm and just get away from rugby.”

In a family as competitive as the Barretts, it is no surprise Jordie has a mental list of his brothers’ farming credentials. Of the three, Scott comes out on top, with Jordie in second while Beauden brings up the rear. Jordie cracks a smile when asked whether rugby or farming prowess is more highly regarded in the family, with his answer firmly the latter.

At 28, there is still plenty of the Jordie Barrett story to be written. Unless injuries strike, he looks likely to contest at least another World Cup and could even get the rare chance to take on the Lions again when they tour New Zealand in 2029. When all is said and done, he may well be able to reel off his list of accolades and caps until the cows come home, literally in his case. One senses he’ll be more likely to list those of his brothers than his own.