All Blacks captain favourite explains why he signed on the dotted line

All Blacks star Scott Barrett has been tipped as one of the favourites to take over from Sam Cane as All Blacks skipper this season.

Getting ready for a first international season under his former club coach Scott Robertson, the 30-year-old secondrow was asked about his ambitions to lead his nation going forward.

Playing down the hype whilst making it clear he would be interested, Barrett said, “I guess that’s something I’d be open to,” before saying, “But my focus right now is to get back on the park, if I’m going to be honest.

“It’d be a huge honour to do that, for whoever is in that position, I guess.

“Those decisions are fully on Razor. We’ve had conversations over the past five or six months around the All Black environment and areas that are critical going forward.

“Ultimately, the decision sits with him.”

Discussing the next Rugby World Cup which is just over the ditch in Australia in 2027, Barrett said that was a major driving factor behind his re-signing with New Zealand Rugby.

“That’s a huge driver of extending. There’s certainly a lot of pain for the last couple of World Cups, personally.

“Scars, I guess, that probably won’t go away. That’s a big driver to give myself another opportunity to go to a World Cup – if I’m playing and performing well.

“That’s a big reason why I’ve extended and a huge motivating factor for me.”