Antidote NZ

The three losses argument is a bit redundant putting it down to Barretts ability at 10. In the Ireland game we came up against a better side on the day and were missing some key players in the forward pack, the Lions game was always going to be difficult being a man down for 60 minutes and not having a lot go your way against a quality opposition, as for the Australian game Beauden wasnt even playing in that one so not sure how that shows his poor game management? Can you not remember most of All Black games from the previous two years where Barrett was a major influence in our success. Also the Hurricanes have played some of their best rugby in the franchises history since 2015 which would be a pretty tough task with a 10 who cant manage a backline...

problem there is that Ritchie wont be on the bench as Mackenzie will be selected there for his utility value..you will see mounga later in the championship...he will start against Argentina whilst they rest Beauden...there is plenty of time for mounga to show his talent down the track

The truth is that were not going to know what Richie can bring until we see him on the park again; 10 minutes at this level is not enough to guage.I see them as complementing each other. Barrett has an excellent and direct running game running off Smith and his off-loads are sublime. Barrett probably has the edge on defense, an important consideration. Mounga appears to be more of the general on the paddock, an able distributor, a good kicking game and his running game has also come on the last couple of seasons.Were actually blessed to be having this debate with Tokyo looming. And the Super Rugby MVP winner is no slug either, although Mounga might have leap-frogged him.Goodhue outside Crotty is the right call and a back three of Jordie, Ben and Reiko is also exciting. Its been a little hard to tell Jordies progress this season; Im not sure centre for the Canes was the right fit.I think the Wallabies are going to be really up for this in Sydney; they are better prepared than they have been in the past and are hungry. And make no mistake Mick Byrne was a loss for the All Blacks and he has had some time with the Wallabies. If the All Blacks are slow out of the blocks...

B.B. didnt play in the loss against Aussie. Also, all the kicking he does is surely in the game plan otherwise youd like to think hed be out of the team for doing it too much? Other than that I agree 100%. BB better play out of his skin, because if he gives Mounga the keys to the Ferrari, he wont get it back!

and why should they listen to the noise of the public or some ego driven journalist?

well balanced insight ..thumbs up from me

Im not backing Barrett. I agree with everything Mark Reason said about him beforehand and I wish that the coaches at least gave Mounga an opportunity off the bench.

Well said but you also forgot to mention that our half backs especially Smith always kick the ball straight to the oppositions fullback.

yes I would question Smiths relentless box kicking straight to the fullback /winger as more of a possession waster

Yes, his go to up and under from inside his own 22 is just crazy stuff.Its usually good for points, to the opposition. Actually you can directly trace some Tries scored against the Hurricanes this year straight from that tactic.

nice crystal ballin

the coaches have noticed. they are just being loyal but BB has a time limit. public wont accept many more average performances. they are also just pandering to BB fragile ego so the pressure doesnt break him.

so enlighten us on barretts average performances ...I dont see much of an ego on the bloke either..comes across as a good dude

Seems everytime I write a well argued comment it gets vetoed by Stuff so Ill save myself the effort and summarise it. J Barrett is MUD.

seems to me regarding that article that goodhue will be partnering crotty and jordie will start at fullback..glowing endorsements from foster showing the selectors hand if you read between the lines

Thats some lofty praise of Jordie Barretts form from Foster.Wheres that Jordie Barrett been playing? It cant be the one who turned out for the Hurricanes this year.

Itll be interesting as Shag and company have unequivocally stated Barrett is the man for the role. What bothers me is that against rush defence Barrett still shovels the ball out to 12 or 13 rather than vary the play. His loop and no-look passes are too risky when the game is tight. He was World Player in 2016 but didnt deserve it last year. He is not the polished article and may not be. His form for the Canes fluctuated too much and he folded in the SF. I hope behind this pack hell do OK. D Mac on the bench is no safety net. He plays a more madcap version of Barretts game so if the boys are struggling - we have no Plan B. Just more of the same. Mounga wont get in the squad if Barrett is starting because Shag wants McKenzie as cover. I just hope we hang onto Mounga because be bossed both rival 10s in Super Rugby.

Best person for the job is a subjective statement. The coachs opinion is different from yours. They have their reason, and they like many, if not most, rugby people in NZ believe Barret is the best choice at 1st five.

Beauden Barrett is not a 10. He doesnt think like a 10, he doesnt play like a 10. Yes, you could stick to the mentality that if it aint broke dont fix it. But with recent losses to Australia, Ireland and the Lions, not to mentions some very ugly wins - i would say it does need fixing. And the problem is Barrett doesnt know how to manage a backline nearly as well as Mounga. On top of that glaring inadequacie, he also kicks away possession WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY too often. Why?! As a flyhalf for a team like the all blacks, he should be effectively distributing the ball to the awesome backline phase after phase after phase (or even go at the line himself) until they inevitably score. Instead he likes to kick it to the enemy after 3-4 phases hoping for a miracle play that rarely eventuates.Instead that just puts the ABS back on the defense (even though they do that well)

with foster there we have problems