Former All Blacks Stephen Donald and Jeff Wilson would not start Jordie Barrett in the opening mid-year game against France as he must prove himself again.
Barrett made the switch to Leinster following the conclusion of the November internationals, and while the All Blacks star has made a huge impact at the Irish club in multiple positions, World Cup-winning fly-half Donald does not feel that it justifies him retaining his starting role in Scott Robertson’s team.
URC is a ‘very, very low level compared to Super Rugby’
Donald believes that the standard of rugby in the United Rugby Championship (URC) is a lot lower than that of Super Rugby and that those playing in New Zealand should get preference in July.
“The URC competition is probably a low, a very, very low level compared to Super Rugby, the Champions Cup stuff certainly would be [of the same level],” he remarked on The Breakdown.
“Would I pick him in the squad? Yes, of course, he’s the vice-captain remember. Would I start him? Not necessarily, and nothing to do with his form, but more of a reward for the boys who have been in Super Rugby and played well all year.
“So Jordie yes, select him straight away, would I start him straight away in Test one against France? Possibly not.”
All Blacks great worries Super Rugby is now a ‘pathway’ not a ‘destination’ for top players
Former Crusaders and Hurricanes lock Joe Wheeler agreed with Donald as he too questioned the level of rugby in the URC, arguing that it would not ‘harden him up’ enough for the demands of international rugby.
Additionally, he thinks that throwing Barrett into the starting XV against what is likely to be a weakened France outfit adds unnecessary pressure.
“I’m a bit the same as you, I don’t think you need to lump that sort of pressure on him in terms of starting, but he’d been in the 23 for sure,” he said.
“When you talk about guys like Jordie Barrett, he’s in the ilk of Sam Cane and Beauden Barrett, where class is permanent – these guys understand Test match rugby. They know what it takes mentally and physically to get themselves in a position to perform at the highest stage.
“The URC might not be as good as Super Rugby, it’s not going to harden him for Test rugby but this guy is world class there’s no question about it he is in your squad, you’re picking him every day of the week, and I don’t think you start him.
“I like your point, reward form back home before you do that.”
Will Jordie Barrett be ‘hardened’ for Test rugby?
Concerns have been raised about the amount of rugby Barrett has played since joining Leinster, with the All Black effectively playing non-stop over the past 16 months with no off-season.
However, the 28-year-old eased those concerns, stating that Leinster have managed his involvements well, providing him with plenty of off-time.
Former All Blacks winger Wilson joked that Barrett may be ‘underdone’ for the international season after spending time on the golf course but also believes that the players in New Zealand will be better prepared for international rugby than the Leinster-based star.
“You have to have a huge amount of trust if you’re the All Blacks coaches and selectors in players if you’re going to put them straight back into the international environment,” he said.
“The fact that you may have conversations with the player, you can look at as much footage as you like, but ultimately you don’t know what’s that compared to what’s happening right in front of you, players you’re seeing week in and week out.
“But ultimately, the fact that guys are hardened having gone through a Super Rugby campaign, and they were to come off the back of what’s going to be a challenging playoff series.
“I look at this and think that he’ll have to come back and prove himself once again. He’s a player who would look at his 2024 and go I’d like to have a bigger impact on the All Blacks in 2025 than I did in that season.
“He’s an integral part of the All Blacks, think about some of the big Test matches he’s been a part of, he was always a guy between the last World Cup to the next World Cup that the All Blacks were going to have to rely on we need now him to come back from here until the Rugby World Cup well and truly focused on the black jersey and what he’s going to bring to that jersey and that environment.”
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Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/urc-is-a-very-very-low-level-ex-all-blacks-would-bench-jordie-barrett-as-he-must-prove-himself-again
