Sam Whitelock’s greatest feat was to play Super Rugby like he cared.
I mention that in light of talk among rugby’s chattering classes that All Blacks captain Scott Barrett isn’t playing to his absolute potential.
It’s one of those discussions you have when you’ve run out of anything meaningful to talk about.
All Blacks, particularly seasoned ones on the Crusaders’ books, who pace themselves through a Super campaign are not new. Richie McCaw, Daniel Carter and Kieran Read often played like men who knew their real rugby lay ahead of them.
With all due respect, Super Rugby Pacific is a competition Barrett needs to find a way to get through before he can get on with his real job.
I imagine his training loads are geared towards that and that we’ll see the best of him when it actually counts.
It says a lot about the kind of competitor Whitelock was that we never had to wonder aloud about his form during a Super season.
All that’s an aside, really.
If there’s an issue with Barrett, it’s that he’s not an elite player. He’s a fine and admirable footballer, but not absolutely world class.
That’s not a knock on him. Barrett gives you what he’s got, but there’s a reason he was behind Whitelock and Brodie Retallick in the All Blacks’ locking pecking order for so long.
Again, there’s no shame in that and this is not an implied criticism of Barrett. It’s just reflective of the status of Whitelock and Retallick as all-time greats.
I made no secret of the fact that I thought Ardie Savea should’ve been named as All Blacks captain last year.
There’s the public relations aspect, given New Zealand Rugby’s commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, of having a Pasifika player bestowed with that honour.
But, much more than that, it’s about rugby and never having your place in the team questioned.
I understand why Barrett was chosen for the role. It made sense that someone who’d been captain of a Scott Robertson-coached side should continue that in the test arena.
Barrett absolutely fits the mould of a traditional All Black captain and there’s nothing wrong with that or with him.
How he performs in Super Rugby Pacific is neither here nor there and I don’t see why anyone would harbour concerns about his form this season. It’s all about how he goes in an All Blacks shirt.
Should his test form be underwhelming then, yes, we do have something to discuss and that really is the reason why I thought Savea should’ve been skipper.
Since McCaw, this hasn’t been a contestable position.
Sam Cane had to pretty much retire in order to earn a second act without the captain’s armband. Otherwise, if you’re named All Blacks captain, you play as of right for as long as you like.
Barrett wasn’t named for 2024; when he assumed the position, it was at least until the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
So, when your tenure is likely to stretch that far into the future, the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season really isn’t a priority.
I’m not here to predict Barrett will become an issue for the All Blacks. I’m not saying he’ll be a passenger by 2027.
But I do believe the primary job of an All Blacks captain is to deservedly be the first name put on the team sheet today and for every future day of your reign.
If you look at the players Robertson inherited, Savea was always the guy most likely to still warrant automatic selection in four years’ time.
