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Richie Mo’unga blocks out external noise by tuning to the frequency you trust the most.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster once again gave Mo’unga the prized number 10 jersey ahead of testing against the Wallabies on Saturday night, with Beauden Barrett as fullback as the team look for a win in Sydney to retain. the Bledisloe Cup.
While Mo’unga’s inclusion in the first fifth eighth isn’t much of a surprise given that he started the previous two tests there, the debate over whether he or Barrett should secure the playmaker job continues to quietly rumble in the background.
Anthony Au-Yeung / Getty Images
Richie Mo’unga manages to throw a pass despite the attention of Wallabies Filipo Daugunu, left, and Tom Banks at the Bledisloe Cup event at Eden Park.
Barrett’s supporters believe he serves the team better if he’s permanently posted in the top five, and Foster has done little to stifle this conversation by saying he believes Barrett is a “10 who plays 15”; however, Foster has continued to adhere to the selection policy used by his predecessor Steve Hansen during last year’s World Cup in Japan.
READ MORE:
* All Blacks v Australia: The big decisions Ian Foster must make for Bledisloe III
* All Blacks v Wallabies: Plan Needed to Protect Richie Mo’unga in Bledisloe II
* Bledisloe Burners: Should Rieko Ioane Be Dumped After Costly Mistake?
Mo’unga, who will be playing his twentieth test and marking test rookie Noah Lolesio at ANZ Stadium, says he handles it this way: He doesn’t really like reading what the media has to write, and if you want some advice, He will call on his teammates and All Blacks co-manager and mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka.
“I have good teammates like Nuggie (Aaron Smith) to keep me grounded,” Mo’unga said. “We worry about the current, what we are going through now and we don’t look too far ahead.
“We just want to be the best we can be, right now. For me, if I can take care of that, I take care of many things. I’m just worried about what I can control. ”
Adam Pretty / Getty Images
Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett have a battle for the number 10 jersey in the All Blacks.
The best way Mo’unga can turn down the volume of outside conversations about who should start at No. 10 is to produce a blindness against a Wallabies team that must win to prevent next weekend’s test in Brisbane from being a failure.
After the disappointing tie at 16 in the wind and rain at Bledisloe I in Wellington, the All Blacks raised their levels of precision and ferocity to beat the Wallabies 27-7 in Test 2 in Auckland.
Barrett’s running game from behind, combined with his ability to provide a playmaking option near breakdowns, would have encouraged Foster to stick with his 10-15 combination.
As for Mo’unga, he says he is satisfied with his form and a third start alongside running back Smith has the potential to benefit both players, with the latter demonstrating in Auckland why he is still considered a valuable cog in the line of background.
Mark Baker / AP
Beauden Barrett will resume his dual role as playmaker with Richie Mo’unga at Bledisloe II on Sunday.
Mo’unga also insisted that few people criticize him as harshly as he himself: “The pressure of playing the number 10 is really tough, and the pressure I put on myself is much more than the external pressure.
“I have tools in place, you know, to help me get through that and Bert (Gilbert Enoka) with mental skills and to know how we want to play.
“For me it is not a matter of worrying about what other people think, apart from me and what my brothers think to my left and to my right.”
