The Barrett brothers, Beauden, Scott and Jordie, reflect on becoming fully fledged All Blacks for the first time as a trio.

OPINION: Word around the petrol pumps of Greytown is that Beauden Barrett, aka rugby's Usain Bolt, has been granted the status of Emperor of the Isles.

The other weekend against Australia the young razzle-dazzler had a blinder. Indeed Beaudy had such a blinder at times that it rendered half the country unable to see. Steve Hansen and the coaching staff were not quite so dazzled, but other folk have lined the streets of the internet in the hope of touching the hem of Barrett's garment.

This is all terrifically exciting and uplifting for the game in this country. Most people love a dazzler. In the entertainment world of professional sport there is much to say for the boulevardier, for the juvenile leads like Brendon McCullum who play the game with a swagger.

PHOTOSPORT Beauden Barrett scored four tries against Australia at Eden Park - but kicked away too much possession early.

But amidst the Barrett brouhaha a few important points have been ignored. Yes, he did some quite exceptional things in the match, but he also gave a lot of ball back to Australia. In fact Barrett's distribution resulted in the Aussies regaining possession on six occasions in the opening 20 minutes. That is a lot, and a better side might have done something with it.

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He also missed a glaring counter-attack opportunity. After five minutes Barrett was running the ball out of the 22, with Waisake Naholo on his left. Only the Australia front row, a ponderous front row at that, stood in the way. Yet Barrett kicked the ball away when he and Naholo would have taken the tubbies to the cleaners. Big chance missed, although Australia's defensive chaos would provide many more.

But let's be positive and pause for a moment to celebrate three moments of sublime skill. The first came when Aaron Smith was charged down from the kick-off. Barrett slid across, scooped the ball up and sent a quite stupendous left-footed kick down the touchline.

GETTY IMAGES Beauden Barrett had a host of sublime attacking moments against the Wallabies.

The second saved a try. Barrett was defending on the left side of the scrum, when Australia went the other way. They broke through the All Blacks lines, and Kurtley Beale was heading for the line with a wet sail when Barrett mowed him down. It was a magnificent piece of cover defending and I am not sure that another 10 in the world is quick enough to have pulled it off.

The third piece of magic was when Barrett skinned the Aussie defence from the halfway line. You could say they were badly dog-legged, you could say Rob Simmons was slow and dozy, you could ask where the hell the full back had got to. All of that is true but Barrett still had the pace and the instinct to go all the way.

After that, though, we are into Boy's Own territory. Much is fantasy. Greg Cornelsen is still revered for the four tries he scored against New Zealand in 1978. Yet Cornelsen did not even catch the ball for any of his tries. They were flop-over-the-line jobs.

The beauty of three of Barrett's tries also lay in the creation of others rather than in the wonder boy's finishing. For my money Ben Smith was the stand-out player on the pitch, sublimely perfect in everything he did. I also make the point that Barrett could have scored three of his four tries from any position in the backline.

Nick Evans touched on this positional versatility when he said, "It's scary ... If they can get to a point where it doesn't matter who stands at first receiver, if they can all see the same picture and execute, I can't see any team in the world getting close to them."

I have never argued that Barrett should not be in the team. I have always argued that he is the best fullback in the world, and that is quite a claim given the brilliance of Ben Smith. Still, given how the All Blacks currently set up, Barrett is playing probably over half of his rugby in that position any way.

But the oddest part of this hysteria is the sudden adoration of Barrett as a 10 based on 30 minutes of broken field rugby. The debate about Barrett has never worried about the games where he is at his best. That is to miss the point entirely.

GETTY IMAGES Was Ben Smith the outstanding player for the All Blacks against the Wallabies?

The debate is how far the All Blacks sink when Barrett is having one of his not infrequent off days. His passing and decision-making are vulnerable when his time is reduced, although obtusely Australia did nothing to stress him with defensive line-speed.

It remains a fact that Cruden never lost a match in the All Blacks jersey when he started at 10. He was of course assisted by Barrett's immense performances as an impact player, something that Damian McKenzie is now providing. It is not an easy role, as Johnny Sexton recently admitted after struggling to fulfil it in Ireland's first test against Australia - and I suspect Mo'unga may also not be suited to it.

PHOTOSPORT Richie Mo'unga should start at 10 for the All Blacks, Mark Reason believes.

But for all the recent flam, questions remain over Barrett's supremacy as a starting 10. He is certainly no Dan Carter. In the last couple of years Barrett has presided over losses to the Lions and to Ireland. You could fairly argue that those are the only two top teams that the All Blacks have played in that time.

Not even their most fervent fans would claim that Australia, South Africa, England or France are even remotely close to their best teams from the previous 40 years. Indeed I am not sure that the collective standard has ever been so low; world rugby having been vandalised by the wretched French and English clubs.

I understand why the All Blacks selectors go with Barrett. He gives them backfield options, both defensively and in counter-attack, that Mo'unga cannot match. But the selectors also know that Mo'unga's tactical direction and passing accuracy from the 10 position are far superior.

Maybe I'm old fashioned but I like my best players on the pitch. That means Mo'unga at 10, with Damian Mckenzie to replace him after 60 minutes, and a back three of Ben Smith, Rieko Ioane and Beauden Barrett. Time is starting to run out to make that move ahead of the World Cup, but the opposition is so bad that the All Blacks may yet get away with it.

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