Beauden Barrett has been handed the reins for New Zealand’s clash with Namibia and the fly-half is eager to show the All Blacks’ fearsome strength in depth.
Barrett came off the bench as Steve Hansen’s side edged past Argentina in their Rugby World Cup opener last weekend and will start at No.10 against the Pool C underdogs on Thursday.
The 24-year-old is one of three fly-halves in the 31-man squad along with Colin Slade, who will wear 15 against Namibia, and legendary stand-off Dan Carter.
He has accumulated 119 points in 31 Test caps for the All Blacks, who will host the British & Irish Lions in 2017, with a win percentage of over 90 per cent.
With Carter set to step down from international duty after the World Cup, Barrett will seek to stake his claim as New Zealand’s premier fly-half but he knows competition is stiff.
“Everyone wants to start in this squad, but we realise this is a great team with great players in front of us,” he said.
“Who knows if that makes us the No.1 side in the world? But we have 31 guys who could probably be starting for this team, we all have that same belief and follow the same plan, we are all on that same page.
“It was an amazing atmosphere (against Argentina). It’s something you dream of just to be here. To get that first game out of the way, I am just really excited about the rest of the tournament now.”
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