Jordie Barrett's big moments injecting energy and belief into Leinster

EXCEPTIONAL: Leinster’s Jordie Barrett gave a five star performance in their Champions Cup quarter-final victory over Glasgow Warriors. Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie

Chances are that if you haven’t seen Jordie Barrett’s other-worldly Champions Cup quarter-final performance against Glasgow Warriors last Friday night then you have most definitely heard of it.

It’s rare that one player stands head and shoulders above his or her peers throughout 80 minutes of rugby. This, as Nigel Owens would say, is not soccer. That extends beyond behaviour norms to just how damn hard it is for any one individual to stand a cut above the rest.

Barrett was that man three days ago.

This is all the more remarkable for the fact that he was playing with a Leinster team that, to a man, was superb. On a night of all-round 8/10 displays, his was five star. You name it, this world-class All Black did it during a 52-0 pasting.

The stats, impressive as they were, don’t even do him justice. His running lines and power meshed with a delicious offload game. He chipped in with at least three turnovers. He made one breathtaking chase back and clearance. He even collected a lineout.

“I mean, you love to see lads digging deep for each other,” said Jack Conan. “If he hadn't done it [the chase back on Kyle Rowe], he wouldn't have been called out for it, but you see the work rate, the fitness, the mindset he has.

“Even when he gets that ball after they kick through, he doesn't panic, he takes a few steps, he puts a great exit kick in, and then he's leading the line defensively. It's a testament to the pro that he is, the calmness that he has and those huge moments that he has for us.” 

Leo Cullen is never one to gush in his praise for an individual performance. God forbid. “Pretty solid,” he smiled when asked about Barrett after Friday’s game. The head coach prefers to turn the focus to what players can contribute off the field.

He spoke of the impact Barrett had with the younger generation when the senior Ireland pros were absent during the Six Nations. The Kiwi World Cup winner struck up a particularly beneficial relationship with young Charlie Tector in that window.

RG Snyman has had a similar influence.

It’s hard to listen to these testimonials and not think of men before them like Isa Nacewa and Brad Thorn, world-class talents whose brilliance between the lines was allied with a dressing-room influence that jet-fuelled the club's cultural journey.

“Yeah, he's brilliant,” said Conan. “I'll echo what Leo said. Really, like, firstly, he's an unbelievably good fella. From the first day he came in, you could see how hungry he was to learn and to kind of get in the mix with the lads straight away.

“Like, I played him against him a few times, but he comes in and you don't really expect him to know who everyone is, but he was so on the ball that first day, he knew the majority of the squad. And he's so hungry to learn.” 

As imports go, the likes of Barrett and Snyman and French tighthead Rabah Slimani are clear upgrades on some of the mezzanine level players brought in before them in recent times. And if Leinster could go so close in recent seasons then...

The whole team has produced an eye-catching number of offloads in their knockout defeats of Harlequins and Glasgow this last two weekends - 48, to be exact - and the effect on their attacking game has been nothing short of explosive.

Attack coach Tyler Bleyendaal can probably take some praise for that too given his background with the Crusaders and Highlanders as a coach and as a No.10 but displays like Barrett’s are the most visible manifestation of it all as they chase that title.

“The energy that he gives everyone else when he has those big moments, it's such a lift,” said Conan. “And whether he's starting or he's coming off the bench, to have someone like that in the 23, it's just incredible.”