Interview: “There’s a great vibe and culture here” - Beauden Barrett

On December 4th, Beauden Barrett shared insights about his initial full training day with Toyota Verblitz, reuniting with fellow half-back Aaron Smith and the RWC2023 Player of the Match, Pieter-Steph du Toit.

- What’s your 1st impression of being with the team?

“I’m loving it. There’s plenty of excitement. It’s just great to be out here with my new teammates learning the new plays and structures and enjoying the beautiful weather.”

- How do you manage yourself in terms of getting familiar with new calls, structure, and plays within a week's time?

“I think take it slowly, not expecting too much too soon and keeping it pretty simple early on. There’s going to be cohesion challenges, so not being too hard on myself too soon, just enjoying whatever opportunity I get to play with my new teammates and enjoy each day with the team because there’s a great vibe and culture here. We know that it’s the first game of the competition. It’s not going to be perfect and it’s just the start for us.”

- How exciting is it to reunite with your former Blues teammate, Tom Robinson?

“Yeah, it’s great because we share a lot of similarities. So, it’s easier to bounce ideas off. Talk about the similarities that we have here at Verblitz compared to other teams we’ve been a part of. But yeah, just sharing that previous experience with him and now we’re here. It’s pretty cool.”

- On his signings with the Blues next season announced recently…

“It was about me having the desire to still play for New Zealand and represent my country. The way the rules are written at the moment, I can only do one season in Japan to be eligible. Otherwise, I have to give up the All Blacks dream. So, it’s unfortunate. It’s the way it is, but I want to make the most of my season with the Toyota Verblitz.”