mens
international
Running together with his two brothers for All black people would be special enough once, let alone 54 times, but veteran playmaker Beauden Barrett continues to draw inspiration from his younger brothers.
Barrett started his first Test match of the 2026 season against the Wallabies at Eden Park, lacing up the boots alongside two of his younger brothers, Scott and Jordie, for the 54th time at Test level.
Scott, who has played 90 Tests to date, returned from a serious back injury after a layoff for the Crusaders, while Jordie picked up where he left off after recent outstanding performances in the series against rugby’s arch-rivals South Africa.
Speaking to the New Zealand media from the All Blacks’ hotel in Sydney, the 146-Test first five admitted it was a special night at Eden Park for a number of reasons.
“At home, it’s a privilege every time. But yes, having missed the recent Test matches, it means a lot to be back there and play with my brothers,” said the experienced playmaker.
“Especially, you know, with Scott coming back, and that’s always really good. But this one was super special.”
Jordie took man-of-the-match honors for the All Blacks, racking up a massive 16 tackles and thirteen catches, thrashing all and sundry in the green and gold at Eden Park.
The midfielder’s older brother, Beauden, was in awe of his play, saying he was the best No.12 in the world at the moment.
“Oh, he’s been incredible this season. Every single Test match I’m inspired by his work rate, his physicality and his involvement; his impact on this team is second to none.”
“Yeah, I’m just proud as a big brother and the way he leads. I guess you can’t see it outside the environment, but he’s certainly matured into a world-class player.”
“Hands down.”
Despite only playing a whopping nine minutes in rugby’s biggest rivalry, Barrett looked secure in his full-back role and his ability to influence the game in multiple areas.
Barrett explained on Monday that he has clear intentions to go into Saturday night’s first Bledisloe Cup Test in Auckland.
“Yeah, I felt great. I just wanted to go out there and work hard, communicate really well and have fun.
“So, yeah, obviously we had to work on that. It was a real test match in terms of the scoreboard; it was a very tight 50 minutes, and we had to really roll up our sleeves and embrace those moments.”
“That’s what trial matches are about. And we learned a lot from that match. We know it’s just the beginning. We saw areas where we want to improve and where we want to be better. That’s what trial matches are about.”
“We are certainly not satisfied and we have a lot of work to do.”
