Barrett's advice to flyhalves
RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP SPOTLIGHT: All Blacks flyhalf Beauden Barrett revealed there is no ‘magic or secret’ in achieving his level of perfection.
The two-time World Rugby player of the year produced a stellar performance during the All Blacks’ 40-12 win over the Wallabies.
The win made sure the team retain the Bledisloe Cup Bledisloe Cup for a 16th straight year.
Barrett scored four tries of the six tries and converted five to finish with a match haul of 30 points, a New Zealand individual match record against Australia.
His four-try masterclass has amplified his status as one of the World’s best and has managed to convert even his harshest critics.
The All Blacks struggled to break the Wallabies’ defence in the first 38 minutes.
But eventually, Barrett scored the first try of the match just before the break – instigating the All Blacks’ trademark surge.
“When you’re thought-free, you’re just out there in the moment just doing it,” Barrett explained on the AllBlacks official website.
“That’s when me as an athlete, is at my best and it’s probably the same for everyone else,” he added.
“You’re just in the zone, you’re in the moment. You’re just executing, you’re all connected, you’re all on the same level so the challenge as an athlete is how do you get there at the start of the game or as often as you can,”
That instinctive quality was obvious in his third, and most spectacular, try when he took a gap and then turned on the speed to outrun the Wallabies’ defence.
“It’s just looking up, seeing space, calling it, doing the obvious, that’s all it is.
“There’s no magic or secret to it, it’s just you get some games [where] more luck, more opportunities come your way and you have to be ready to take them,” he said.
Barrett exudes calmness at all times in his game, he said there were times of frustration or when he lost his cool and he said the mental side of his game could be grown in the same way as the physical side. Team leadership manager and previously mental skills coach, Gilbert Enoka had taught him, and the team, a lot and he couldn’t speak highly enough of his work with the side.
Playing the style the All Blacks were at the moment made it satisfying when a good performance was achieved because they knew how hard they were working and the effort that was going into each Test.
“To do it in the black jersey, in front of our home fans, on this occasion it’s Owie’s [Franks] 100th. It’s very satisfying and we’ll enjoy it.
“It’s just the way the team is, the culture, it’s a great one to be part of and as a player, it’s a great feeling,” he said.
Source: @AllBlacks
