It’s fair to say that the All Blacks draw in the neutral supporter like few other sides in world sport and the same must be said for the Barbarians. The Barbarians is an extremely unique and special part of rugby and this encounter cemented its place in our game beautifully.
The game itself had a little bit of everything from ‘special’ set plays to outrageously brilliant skills and mesmeric individual performances. Vaea Fifita and Waisake Naholo stood out for New Zealand whilst Kwagga Smith and Steven Luatua tore up the Twickenham turf. If ever there was a day to split the man of the match award then it was Saturday!
Following the Test match Robbie Deans, Scott Robertson and the Barbarians' captain Andy Ellis all spoke extremely articulately about the position of the Barbarians and about exactly what it means to them. In the aftermath of some matches featuring the invitational side, often ones that have been lost, a notion is tabled that the Barbarians has 'had its day’. Personally, I’ll never agree with that and if you read the viewpoints of those that know the Barbarians better than most - Robbie Deans and Andy Ellis - then I think that you’d agree that it must be cherished.
"From day one when everyone comes together there's a nervous energy and by day two everyone's best mates, arm in arm, having a great time together,” said the captain.
“Then comes game-day there's music in the sheds, and smiles everywhere. The way I like to describe it is I feel like I'm seven years old again and running out on Hagley Park in the frost playing rugby because I love to play rugby. That's pretty special and hard to capture in the modern professional age.”
A love of the game is why every man or women aspires to become a professional rugby player. However, with the professional game comes huge pressure and intensity and that can often take away from some of the joy they felt when they were younger.
This isn’t unique to rugby, I was listening to the Friday Sports Panel on BBC 5 Live and Goldie Sayers was discussing this exact topic this week. The Olympic athlete gave advice to the young 19-year-old wheelchair tennis athlete Alfie Hewett and told him to make sure that he enjoys his success because it’s far too easy to get caught up in the pressure and quest for perfection.
The Barbarians is the place where players can freely, and wholeheartedly, express themselves and it shows in the output of the team. Saturday's encounter, from where I was sitting, felt like a joyous expression of a game that we all love so much and head coach Robbie Deans summarised it well.
"This is the way rugby should be. The essence of rugby is that it's the ultimate team sport, caters to all shapes and sizes, and all cultures. It doesn’t matter which part of the world you go to, the doors open and you’ve got something in common."
From a Kiwi perspective the match was all about 'taking the learnings' and building into this series of games. Steve Hansen, like all international coaches right now, is looking to continue to increase the amount of experience within his squad and matches like Saturday's are invaluable to do that.
The fact that those less experienced individuals were facing a side that is as unpredictable as the Barbarians are will help to accelerate their learning. The game time afforded to the likes of David Havili and Scott Barrett and others will be banked and come to the fore in the coming months and years. Equally, Beauden Barrett captaining the side for the first time will enhance his great bank of knowledge and in his words 'help me to assist Kieran better' in the future.
The fact that those less experienced individuals were facing a side that is as unpredictable as the Barbarians are will help to accelerate their learning. The game time afforded to the likes of David Havili and Scott Barrett and others will be banked and come to the fore in the coming months and years. Equally, Beauden Barrett captaining the side for the first time will enhance his great bank of knowledge and in his words 'help me to assist Kieran better' in the future.
I cannot speak highly enough of Saturday afternoon’s match and I very much look forward to watching the Barbarians and New Zealand take on their next challenges in the coming days.
Listen to the post-match press conferences at the Out On The Full audioBoom page HERE.
Listen to the post-match press conferences at the Out On The Full audioBoom page HERE.
