‘So locked in’: All Blacks icon fires warning to Wallabies

Exclusive: Dan Carter has warned the Wallabies that Beauden Barrett is far from a spent force as the ageing All Blacks great returns to the full glare of the Bledisloe Cup spotlight on Saturday night.

Barrett was considered lucky by many New Zealand rugby observers to even make the All Blacks squad after an indifferent Super Rugby season with the Blues.

The two-time world player of the year played in just one of four Tests against the Springboks, coming off the bench to score a consolation try in Baltimore.

But serious injuries to Ruben Love and Richie Mo’unga have swung the selection door wide open for the 35-year-old, who has been named at fullback for the Bledisloe opener at Auckland’s Eden Park.

All Blacks coach Dave Rennie confirmed Barrett would share playmaking duties with Damian McKenzie, who has been switched to the No.10 jersey.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Carter told nine.com.au when asked if Barrett was capable of being more than just a mentor at the tail end of a glittering 145-Test career.

“He’s just such a valuable part of any environment that he’s a part of, and you can’t take experience for granted, you know, in big tournaments under pressure.

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“Having someone that you can rely on like Beaudy is just so valuable. So whether it’s mentorship, but also just standards and leadership and work ethic that younger players like Ruben and Josh (Jacomb) will be looking up to. That’s the standard that he’s set for so long.

“So he’ll be upskilling all the people around him.“

Carter, the leading point-scorer in Test rugby history, was speaking before Mo’unga tore his calf at training on Tuesday.

“Worst-case scenario, you know, there are injuries, or he (Barrett) gets an opportunity,” Carter said.

“He knows he’s at the back end of his career and if anything you get hungrier knowing that you’re at that stage of your career.”

Carter was a member of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad but tore his groin in training during the pool stages.

His second World Cup winners medal in 2015 was much more personally satisfying as he produced as a series of masterful performances at age 33.

Scoring the match-sealing try in the final against the Wallabies at Twickenham was a 24-year-old Barrett.

“I remember 2014, things were not going my way at all,” Carter said during a visit to Sydney with the Global Rugby Players Foundation.

“Injuries and form - I didn’t even think I was going to be selected in the World Cup in 2015, and I decided to go overseas and 2015 was my last year.

“I was just so locked in and focused and just so grateful for the position that I was in. Every training, every game, I just wanted to play like it was my last because I knew that the end was just around the corner.

“So there would be some motivation there. He (Barrett) had a frustrating Super Rugby season. That took its toll, but being back in that All Blacks environment… I’m hearing amazing things around the connection, the culture, the fun and laughter that they’re having, so I’m sure that he’ll be reinvigorated again.”

Carter was gutted for Love, who led the Hurricanes to the Super Rugby title this year before establishing himself as Rennie’s first-choice Test pivot.

Love’s hopes of going head-to-head with good mate Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii were crushed when he was advised to undergo season-ending surgery to fix a nagging ankle injury.

Carter said Love had acquitted himself well in South Africa despite the series defeat.

“He’s had an amazing season,” Carter said.

“Playing in those environments, you’re curious just to see if it would affect him, if he played any differently or how he was able to deal with the pressure of playing in those hostile environments.

“And he just seemed at home, you know, he seemed like a 40, 50-Test All Black, and he played with composure. He drove the team around the field pretty well considering the way the Springboks were disrupting our set-piece and physicality.”

With the 2017 tournament in Australia looming, Carter rejected the cliché narrative that teams couldn’t win World Cups without a world-class No.10.

“We were fourth-string, 2011, and the bloody whitebaiter (Stephen Donald), got us through!” he joked.

“So it’s doable, but I think you need stability. Obviously, (Handrè) Pollard was amazing at the last World Cup, he wasn’t even in the squad initially.

“I don’t think you can say ‘we don’t have a 10, we’re not going to win a World Cup.’

“But you know the importance of having combinations and a really stable midfield, and a No.9 that dictates play. You are seeing a lot more influence from your No.9s, like a Cam Roigard as an example of that.

“He’s just such a fundamental part of the All Blacks cog and a lot of the attack is centred around him and his decision-making. So if there is a bit of uncertainty around 10, then as long as you’ve got a safety haven of helping the player that is in that position, it probably doesn’t matter as much.”

Barrett is joined by younger brothers Scott and Jordie in the New Zealand starting lineup.

All Blacks (15-1): Beauden Barrett, Will Jordan, Quinn Tupaea, Jordie Barrett, Leroy Carter, Damian McKenzie, Cam Roigard, Wallace Sititi, Peter Lakai, Tupou Vaa’i, Josh Lord, Scott Barrett, Fletcher Newell, Codie Taylor (c), Ethan de Groot

Reserves: Asafo Aumua, George Bower, Pasilio Tosi, Shannon Frizell, Anton Segner, Kyle Preston, Rieko Ioane, Josh Moorby

Wallabies (15-1): Tom Wright, Max Jorgensen, Isaac Henry, Len Ikitau, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Ben Donaldson, Ryan Lonergan, Harry Wilson (c), Fraser McReight, Rob Valetini, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Jeremy Williams, Allan Alaalatoa, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Angus Bell

Reserves: Josh Nasser, Aidan Ross, Massimo De Lutiis, Lachlan Shaw, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Tate McDermott, Declan Meredith, Harry Potter

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)

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