Brooke hails special Carter replacement Barrett

Zinzan Brooke believes Beauden Barrett’s special ability to read the game is what has allowed the New Zealand fly-half to fill the void left by Dan Carter.

Barrett has established himself as one of the most exciting players in world rugby and is key to the All Blacks‘ hopes as they prepare to take on the touring British and Irish Lions in a three-Test series.

The Hurricanes star, 26, has 49 caps to his name, making 19 starts, and has scored 297 points comprising of 18 tries, 66 conversions and 25 penalties.

And former New Zealand number eight Brooke, who made 58 Test appearances and helped them to Rugby World Cup glory in 1987, has been delighted with way Barrett has replaced Carter, who leads the list of all-time All Blacks points scorers with 1598, following his international retirement after the 2015 World Cup.

“Beauden’s really set the benchmark, we thought ‘goodness me, who’s going to replace Dan Carter’ and he’s just come and clicked and he’s done it with such ease and composure and he’s like a seasoned veteran,” Brooke told Omnisport at the TISSOT Boutique in London.

“The fact is that he’s just a young kid, and it’s great to see, and I like the way he plays his game.

“He asks questions of the defence: ‘How good are you guys?’ Because what he has got is this special thing, he reads the game, he smells the gap, and when he actually gets the gap, he’s got that blistering pace.

“You see a prop or a hooker, or someone who’s a little bit slower, you can actually take them on and have a go, which he’s been renowned [for] and on numerous occasions he’s done that.”