IN 10se BATTLE

NEW ZEALAND CURRENTLY HAS THE TWO BEST FIRST-FIVES IN WORLD RUGBY VYING TO WEAR THE ALL BLACKS NO 10 SHIRT. IT’S A BATTLE THAT HAS CAPTURED THE PUBLIC IMAGINATION BUT IT MAY BE ONE THAT NEVER QUITE MATERIALISES.

- GREGOR PAUL

There was something about Beauden Barrett's body language that told a bigger story when he played against the Chiefs at Eden Park in Super Rugby Aotearoa.

He was moving that little bit quicker than he had been in previous weeks. He was almost skipping as the ball came his way, his hands were out, his brain flicking through the options as he assessed the shape of the rushing defence.

There was an energy about him, a boldness in his decision-making that hadn't been apparent, or actually had been missing in his previous five games for the Blues.

Perhaps it was a sign that having not played rugby between November and June, he was finally feeling more like himself halfway through Super Rugby Aotearoa. Maybe.

But really what had sparked him into better form and giving a more convincing impression of his former self, was a positional change.

Against the Chiefs, he was wearing No 10. He hadn't played a game there since the warm-up test against Tonga in early September 2019 and having that responsibility of driving the team around the park, brought the best out of him.

Barrett is an exceptional footballer, probably the most talented the world has seen and can slip on the No 15 jersey and deliver extraordinary performances in that role.

By the end of the World Cup, he had proven himself the best fullback in the world and while he has the team-first attitude to willingly play there, it's not his happy place.

Whatever anyone else thinks doesn't matter as in Barrett's head, he's a No 10. He said as much after the Blues had lost to the Hurricanes in Wellington: a night which saw him endure being booed by his old fan-club, and then being bumped around by the rampant Ngani Laumape.