All Blacks: Barrett states his case, but has Perofeta done enough?

His Blues team had just done their second demolition job in as many weeks, thumping the Reds 53-26, and his performance was definitely good enough to allow for a couple of minutes of tardiness.

Blues fullback Stephen Perofeta and first five Beauden Barrett showed against the Reds they are a potent combination, Jamie Wall writes.
Photo: Photosport

He wasn’t alone, either. The Blues have done their best attempt at a time warp, scoring tries at a rate of their fabled mid-90s forerunners and lighting up Eden Park. They are the form team of the competition, hold an iron grip on first pace and are looking good to be the first team not called the Crusaders to host a Super Rugby final since 2017.

Barrett’s prominence in the game was definitely a talking point once he sat down, though, especially the fact that it seems that there might be a solution to the whole dual playmaker issue that has been integral to the All Blacks’ ethos over the last decade or so.

At the start of the second half the Blues scored two tries in the space of 10 or so minutes to kill the game off against the Reds, one by Barrett and one by Stephen Perofeta. Both set them up for the other – Barrett scoring off a perfectly weighted Perofeta kick along the deck, then Perofeta put through a yawning gap from a perfect Barrett pass.

Stephen Perofeta makes a run for the Blues.
Photo: PhotoSport

OK, it was against the Reds at home, so the Blues went in pretty handy favourites in the battle between the two most unimaginatively named teams in the history of the game.

But the combination between Barrett at first five and Perofeta at fullback does present a pretty decent case for it to be replicated during the test season. Ian Foster is rapidly approaching a time when he needs to make a call between Barrett and Richie Mo’unga as to who will wear the 10 jersey through to the next World Cup.

There can’t be a horses for courses attitude anymore. One of those two needs to be told that they are the man, so that there can be some clear direction in a backline that really could contain anyone at the moment. So, if it is Barrett, looking at a package deal with Perofeta might not be a bad idea.

“I really like playing with Stevie,” Barrett told us, looking as at home as he has yet in a Blues jersey.

“We get along well off the field, look at the game in similar ways and understand the importance of driving the team around the park…”

More cliches followed, but you get the picture. Barrett needs all the weapons at his disposal to take on the All Blacks’ schedule if he’s the chosen one, so it’s obvious that Perofeta at fullback could be one.

Beauden Barrett is shaping as the top prospect to run the All Blacks’ backline, Jamie Wall writes.
Photo: Photosport / Andrew Cornaga

Uncapped players on the charge

Another man who he is enjoying having in his backline is Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who had another impressive showing last night.

In fact, the front runners in the much-discussed midfield conversation right now are arguably RTS and two other players that haven’t been capped. Leicester Fainga’anuku is well and truly proving that he is no one-season wonder, leading the Super Rugby try scoring chart, while Alex Nankivell has been the Chiefs’ best player so far this season.

Leicester Fainga’anuku scores a try at Forsyth Barr Stadium for the Crusaders in round one of the competition.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The odds on all three of those players making it into the All Black mix come July is pretty slim, for sure, but at the very least their collective good form should raise that of the more established test players. You’d hope so, anyway.

It would have been a waste of time to ask Barrett about what he thinks about the All Black season, he’d have a pre-taped answer ready about being focused on the Blues for now and that’s probably almost entirely true anyway.

But there has to be something going on as he trains and plays with this incredibly potent Blues side that has scored 19 tries in two games, telling him that maybe it’d be great if the All Black backline was a little more blue too.