Jordie Barrett on his way to scoring a try during the 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-final match between Argentina and New Zealand at the Stade de France. Photo: AFP / Anne-Christine Poujoulat
Analysis - It is fair to say the news of Jordie Barrett's announcement that he has re-signed with NZ Rugby until 2028 was not that much of a surprise. After all, the youngest brother of the famous All Black trio has forged himself into a player a test backline can be built around in the last couple of seasons, something he has already very much achieved at the high-flying Hurricanes.
It is more his choice of where he is going to spend his season off, which is the usual caveat to an All Black of his pedigree inking a long-term deal. Everyone lately has been heading to Japan, but Barrett will instead join Leinster next season, the Dublin-based Irish powerhouse.
"The reality of being a professional athlete is that you've only got a small window to have these opportunities," Barrett said.
"I'd love to be sitting there in twenty or thirty years with my kids or grandkids, knowing that I left no stone unturned, and I took up this opportunity to better myself."
Which all makes sense, and the issue is not really with New Zealand rugby fans. Most people here have accepted the financial reality of players being able to skip Super Rugby and make some money elsewhere, although if Barrett was simply interested in money, he would have gone to Japan like his brother Beauden. While over here we are sending off to the airport with best wishes, the reception where he is going looks like it will be a tad more hostile.
For context: Leinster won the predecessor to the current United Rugby Championship (URC), the Guinness Pro 14, four years in a row from 2017-2021. They currently sit top of the URC and Champions Cup tables.
James Lowe celebrates scoring his team's fifth try during the Investec Champions Cup Quarter Final match between Leinster Rugby and Stade Rochelais at Aviva Stadium. Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
Put simply, they certainly do not need the help on the field (they already have Kiwi-Irish test players Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe), and they have already got a head start off it anyway. Being based in Dublin they already have the top secondary school rugby talent in their area, as well as the largest stadium that generates far more revenue than the three other Irish provinces.
That, plus the amount of squad members being on Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) central contracts, it means that they are also able to build depth and stand as perennial favourites for the URC and Champions Cup titles. Plus, they have also recently signed Springbok World Cup winner RG Snyman from neighbouring Munster.
Barrett's move is very much a case of the rich getting richer, for sure, and the reaction in Ireland has been mixed. But long term it is hard not to think that him running around in a blue jersey at the Aviva Stadium will have a positive benefit. For a start, people will almost certainly be keen to watch what happens when he does, something that basically never happens with New Zealanders and northern hemisphere rugby these days.
Jordie Barrett of the Hurricanes. Photo: Hagen Hopkins
That sort of interest is crucial if the long-mooted Club World Cup idea ever actually gets off the ground. With all due respect to Leinster, it is hard to see a fixture between them and the Blues at Eden Park attracting much of a crowd unless someone like Barrett is playing. Really, it is hard enough to get people along to watch Australian Super Rugby teams that are stacked with Wallabies.
There is an awful lot of logistics that need to happen before something like that becomes a reality, though. Mainly just exactly when a global domestic competition will get played, given how bloated the average calendar already is. That leads on to a pretty important observation about Barrett's move, which is that he is not going to be getting any special weeks off like the All Blacks do in Super Rugby.
The Leinster move was cleared by NZR's high performance unit, which does call into question the logic behind the resting policy in the first place. But that is a topic that deserves its own discussion.
In the meantime, Barrett has suddenly found himself in the best position in his career to win a title with the Hurricanes, then embark on a long campaign with the All Blacks. Later this year, one of the last stops is Dublin to meet Ireland, where the reception he gets will be interesting to say the least.
