Wellington - All Blacks flyhalf Beauden Barrett has inked a
new deal across all levels of the game, in what is a major signing for New
Zealand Rugby.
25-year-old Barrett has re-signed with New Zealand Rugby, as
well as his Hurricanes Super Rugby club and his province Taranaki, through
until the end of the 2019 season.
Barrett has been in scintillating form in 2016: he starred
in the Steinlager Series against Wales, helped guide his Hurricanes team to
their first ever Super Rugby title, and continued his glittering form in the
two comprehensive Bledisloe Cup victories over Australia in the opening matches
of the Investec Rugby Championship.
"I love playing for the All Blacks and representing my
country in the black jersey and I’m loving my footy at the moment," said
Barrett.
"The All Blacks are an incredibly special team to be
part of and I’m looking forward to playing my role and adding my small part to
the legacy over the next few years.
"As well, with the Hurricanes we’ve built a great
culture at the club and it’s an exciting time to be involved with a great bunch
of guys and a quality coaching staff. Next year I’m looking forward to doing
everything I can to help build on our success this year.
"I’m also a proud Taranaki man, proud of my roots and
stoked to be recommitting to my home province."
New Zealand Rugby Chief Executive Steve Tew said Barrett’s
signature was a key one for the organisation – and they were delighted to have
locked him in with New Zealand Rugby through until 2019.
"This is a huge deal for us. 'Beaudy' is playing
outstanding rugby at the moment and his rugby is going from strength to
strength," said Tew.
"It’s been great for all of us who have watched him
develop from a young rugby player into a world-class All Black and we’re all
excited to see how he grows as a player in what will be a huge few years for
rugby in New Zealand, with the New Zealand Lions Series next year and the Rugby
World Cup in Japan in 2019."
All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen said: "It’s great
news for the team and great news for Beauden. He’s fast becoming one of 'the'
players in the world.
"He’s been a world-class player coming off the bench
for some time, he’s now graduated into starting Test matches for us, and this
year he’s been nothing short of spectacular.
"He’ll continue to grow — he’s not the finished product
yet, by any stretch of the imagination - but as he does, I think we’ll see
something pretty special, so it’s nice to have him signed up and secure."
Hurricanes head coach Chris Boyd said: "We’re delighted
that Beauden has decided to recommit to the Hurricanes. He’s been a big part of
our success over the past two seasons and has developed into a real leader
within the group, both on and off the field.
"We all saw the influence he had this season and his
combination in the halves with TJ Perenara continues to go from strength to
strength. It’s an exciting time for the club and there’s no doubt Beauden is a
big part of our plans in the coming seasons."
Hurricanes chief executive Avan Lee added: "“Beauden
has always been a key part of the club’s plans and this year we all saw how
influential he can be when he’s playing somewhere near his potential.
"I think I speak for all of the Hurricanes fans in
saying there are some exciting times ahead with a player of his calibre wearing
the No 10 jersey."
Michael Collins, Taranaki Rugby’s CEO, said: "Taranaki
Rugby is incredibly excited to continue our association with Beauden Barrett.
"While we know that it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be available to pull on the Coastal jersey or the Port Taranaki Bulls shirt, 'Beaudy'’ continues to be a willing contributor off the field for both Coastal and Taranaki Rugby.
"The entire Taranaki community is proud of his achievements on the field and the opportunity to continue our association with Beauden is a no brainer. We wish him every success with the All Blacks and Hurricanes."