2024 in review: Beauden Barrett’s brilliance sparks thrilling All Blacks win

New Zealand’s incredible unbeaten run at Eden Park was under serious threat when Steve Borthwick’s England visited Auckland in July. The All Blacks had snuck by the very same foe by only a single point in Dunedin and were locked in another tense thriller a week later.

Had it not been for a Beauden Barrett masterclass off the pine then coach Scott Robertson’s time in charge of the All Blacks could’ve started with one loss and a win through two Tests matches during the July internationals.

It was a vintage performance that was reminiscent of Barrett’s time as World Rugby’s back-to-back Player of the Year. With some pinpoint kicking around the field of play, clever work in defence and a clean pair of heels, there was a clear Player of the Match from the 24-17 win.

Mark Tele’a scored the opening try of that Test in the 10^th minute, which was followed by a Damian McKenzie conversion. McKenzie added another two penalties throughout the rest of the first term, but two England tries saw the visitors take a 14-13 lead into the half-time sheds.

Marcus Smith added another three points to England’s advantage with a successful shot at goal eight minutes into the second period to give them a 17-14 lead. No points were scored for another 12 minutes, and it seemed the Eden Park crowd was becoming increasingly nervous.

But cometh the hour, cometh the man.

New Zealand needed a hero – not just the All Blacks at this point, but yes referring to the nation and nation’s sheer passion that goes into rugby union – and it was Beauden Barrett who stood up and answered the call after coming on as a replacement in the 49^th minute.

There were a couple of kicks that had the Auckland crowd audibly excited as they continued to cheer the All Blacks toward a comeback. Barrett’s crowning moment in attack was a linebreak around the 60^th minute, which saw him run between Freddie Steward and Maro Itoje.

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Barrett sent Tele’a over for his second try of the evening, with that effort giving the All Blacks a lead they wouldn’t surrender for the rest of the night. But with an unsuccessful conversion, the hosts only led 18-17, so it was still a supremely nerve-wracking final quarter for all supporters.

With a fascinating double kick – kicking the ball once before chasing it and then putting boot to ball immediately – it seemed Barrett had the ball on a string and could do no wrong. As the replacement grew in confidence, so did the players around him and fans in black jerseys as a result.

On the defensive side of the ball, Barrett also pulled off a brilliant tackle to hold up England captain Jamie George over the try line. The English gave it everything but wouldn’t score any more points that night, with Barrett’s brilliance inspiring a dramatic seven-point win.

“He came on last night, there’s a couple of things to take into consideration,” Sir John Kirwan said on Sky Sport’s The Breakdown after that Test. “Impact players come off the bench, and opposition players are tired, and he was outstanding.

“This guy is world-class, he’s done that in 2015, but let’s get back to the first five discussion. Beauden hasn’t played there for a few years, he’s been our fullback.

“It took Daniel Carter a loss in 2007, an injury in 2011, Mo’unga who has been amazing, it took him a couple of years to really take the team and go it’s mine, and we nearly won a World Cup.

“You can’t just go, ‘That’s it’ after two Test matches. Does he [Damian McKenzie] need to improve his kicking game? Yes he’ll know that. Does he need to use his voice a bit more? They’ll know that, I don’t know what it was like on the sidelines.

“But if we are going to commit to someone for the next three years, you’ve got to stick with him. It’s the only position in the world I believe where you need to do that. Like the quarterback in the NFL, they’ve got to have complete trust. You feel when you are not trusted.

“His first two Test matches haven’t been what we expected and that’s mainly around his kicking game.”

Barrett was often used as the All Blacks’ second-choice first five-eighth in 2024, as McKenzie was repeatedly handed the playmaking reins. But there was a change of guard during the Bledisloe Cup Series as ‘Beaudy’ took control.

But with McKenzie standing tall throughout most of the year, including a Player of the Match performance in Barrett’s absence during the All Blacks’ win over Ireland in Dublin, World Rugby recognised the Chiefs playmaker as the best No. 10 of the year at the World Rugby Awards in Monaco.