Barrett reminisces on Newlands era as Stormers clash looms
SPOTLIGHT: All Black flyhalf Beauden Barrett opened up on facing the Stormers ahead of the Greatest Rivalry tour opener and his fond memories of playing at the old Newlands Stadium.
Barrett faced the Stormers for the first time as a youngster in 2012, in a Hurricanes jersey, at Newlands, in a losing cause (26-39), but announced himself with a personal tally of 21 points, scoring a try, two conversions, and four penalties.
The match in itself carries some significance – double World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi made his debut off the bench, earning the player of the match award after replacing Schalk Burger, who suffered a long-term injury early in the contest.
Barrett revealed what he expects from the Stormers this weekend and reminisced about his fond memories of playing at the iconic Newlands Stadium, and what the All Blacks expect John Dobson’s team to bring to the party.
“Not specifically, obviously, we prepared accordingly around what and who we are up against,” Barrett told Rugby365 when asked if he spoke to the players who didn’t play during the Super Rugby era with South African teams involved.
“Obviously the [Stormers] team have just been named, and we’ll continue to work on the specific individuals that have been selected.
“I recall playing at Newlands… it’s still in the top three stadiums for me playing against Schalk Burger, Jean de Villiers and some other great names as a Hurricane at a time.”
“It’s just great to be back in Cape Town; we feel the love and support in the city.
“The Stormers had a pretty successful season making the [United Rugby Championship] semifinals, and we are aware of their threats.”
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The veteran playmaker praised the talent of his direct opponent Yaqeen Ahmed, who will make his debut in the blue and white hoops.
“With him and Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] the Stormers are in pretty good hands going forward.
“The success of the Junior Boks in recent times has been superb. Like I said, the team had just been named, so I certainly will be paying respect to those names.
“Just being aware of their trends and threats and running ability…they’re very talented.
“Most of the week has been focussing on our game and the Stormers’ trends in general.”
Barrett will partner Cortez Ratima at halfback and will face Ahmed and Imad Khan as their opposites on Friday evening.
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