Beauden Barrett says he cannot wait to don the Blues jersey for the first time and face younger brother Jordie and former side the Hurricanes.
The siblings will face each other for the first time at Vodacom Super Rugby level when the Blues open their Aotearoa campaign against the Hurricanes on Sunday, 14 June.
Beauden made a surprise switch from the Hurricanes to the Blues last year, but has had to wait to make his first appearance for the Auckland-based side after taking an extended break from rugby following the 2019 World Cup.
WATCH: Barrett on facing Canes, younger brother Jordie
Speaking on the ‘Breakdown Show’ on Sky Sports, 29-year-old Beauden teased his younger brother about how their backyard games used to go during their upbringing.
‘He’s a big boy now – it’s been a while since I used to make him cry at home in the backyard,’ Beauden Barrett laughed. ‘It’s going to be a good match-up. Hopefully I can get out there on the park. I can’t take anything for granted.
‘With Scott I didn’t actually bump into him too often, being a big brute in the second row, whereas in the backs we do clash a fair bit so there may be a few contacts.
‘There’s nothing like taking the field and competing and it’s going to be extra significant being against my old mates. I’ve done so much training up until this point, so I can’t wait to rip in and put on a Blues jersey for the first time.’
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Barrett added that any inside information he may have on the Hurricanes wouldn’t make too much of a difference as the Blues coaching staff had already done an excellent job of analysing their opponents.
‘Leon MacDonald and the other coaches have done a great job analysing the Canes,’ Barrett said. ‘Through that what I’ve told them isn’t much more than what they already know.
‘They haven’t changed the way the play dramatically, so it’s probably more around personnel and understanding the behaviours of my former teammates that I can pass on my experiences with.’
Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
