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Calls for Mo'unga to wear All Blacks 10 jersey intensify after another Crusaders defeat for Barrett

Beauden Barrett of the Hurricanes. (Photo by Masanori Udagawa/Getty Images)

A fourth consecutive defeat for the Hurricanes against the Crusaders has once again raised question marks over who should wear the All Blacks 10 jersey after Barrett’s less-than-impressive showing on Friday night.

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New Zealand fans from the South Island have long been calling for Mo’unga to take over, with Steve Hansen having to publicly pour water over the debate claiming that Crusaders have a ‘Rolls Royce’ pack in defence of his incumbent.

The Crusaders romped to a 32-8 win in ‘Beauden’s house’, leading to many fans asking for Barrett’s benching with the All Blacks.

https://twitter.com/Mikki_Kala/status/1111533353369391105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1111533353369391105%7Ctwgr%5E363937393b636f6e74726f6c&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Frugby365.com%2Ftournaments%2Fsuper-rugby%2Fnews-super-rugby%2Ffans-berate-pitiful-hurricanes

After two cheap tries on the back of mistakes in the Hurricanes back three, the Crusaders built a healthy lead which the Hurricanes had to chase. In similar circumstances to the game in Christchurch last year, Barrett’s errors compounded as they tried to find a way back into the game.

The RugbyPass Index has seen Richie Mo’unga overtake Barrett on the back of early season Super Rugby form, the second time in the last 12-months he has done so.

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With just 38% possession the Crusaders outscored the Hurricanes four tries to one, bouncing back from their loss in Sydney last week in emphatic fashion. The win secured top spot in the conference for the Crusaders while the Hurricanes maintained second place but slipped five competition points behind.
Barrett will get the chance to rebound in another Kiwi derby against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Friday night while the Crusaders will host the Brumbies in Christchurch.
Michael Cheika talks to RugbyPass:
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Nickers 38 minutes ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I thought we made a lot of progress against that type of defence by the WC last year. Lots of direct running and punching holes rather than using width. Against that type of defence I think you have to be looking to kick on first phase when you have front foot ball which we did relatively successfully. We are playing a lot of rugby behind the gain line at the moment. They are looking for those little interchanges for soft shoulders and fast ball or off loads but it regularly turns into them battering away with slow ball and going backwards, then putting in a very rushed kick under huge pressure.


JB brought that dimension when he first moved into 12 a couple of years ago but he's definitely not been at his best this year. I don't know if it is because he is being asked to play a narrow role, or carrying a niggle or two, but he does not look confident to me. He had that clean break on the weekend and stood there like he was a prop who found himself in open space and didn't know what to do with the ball. He is still a good first phase ball carrier though, they use him a lot off the line out to set up fast clean ball, but I don't think anyone is particularly clear on what they are supposed to do at that point. He was used really successfully as a second playmaker last year but I don't think he's been at that role once this year. He is a triple threat player but playing a very 1 dimensional role at the moment. He and Reiko have been absolutely rock solid on defence which is why I don't think there will be too much experimentation or changes there.

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