Beauden Barrett made the hardest and worst decision of his life late last week. After weeks, probably months of agonising, he has decided to stay loyal to the Hurricanes and spurn a massively attractive offer from the Blues. Blues coach John Kirwan’s decision to make Barrett’s rejection public last night took a bit of the gloss off the young playmaker’s plans. Barrett and his manager had hoped the decision would be able to be revealed by the Hurricanes. Kirwan, who will now trumpet the impending arrival of former Kiwis league captain Benji Marshall, met with the Barrett family on Monday to discuss exactly what a move to the Blues would mean.The coaching staff at the Blues – Kirwan, former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry and skills coach Mick Byrne – had made a move north incredibly attractive for Barrett.That was strengthened by doubts he has over the long-term coaching ability of Hurricanes head coach Mark Hammett and his assistant Alama Iremia. Although he has stayed loyal to the Hurricanes, for now, you can be sure Barrett has put the Wellington franchise on notice that they need to back up some of the promises they have made to keep him.
