New Zealand rugby has had some talented families – the Whettons, the Brookes, the Clarkes – but nothing to match the brilliant Barretts. Kevin and Robyn Barrett have eight children and three of them will be wearing All Black jerseys against England in Dunedin next weekend. Beauden already has 123 international caps, Scott is his country’s new captain and Jordie is among his deputies.
Rugby-wise there are few peaks unscaled by one sibling or another, which may explain why Jordie has bucked the trend of All Black sabbaticals by signing a six-month contract with Leinster, starting in December. One of the planet’s most impressively versatile and impactful players is looking forward to heading north to see how the other half lives.