All Blacks star Jordie Barrett discusses Leinster move

All Blacks star Jordie Barrett all but broke the rugby Twittersphere last week when it was announced that he would be joining Irish powerhouse Leinster Rugby on a short-term deal next season.

Capped 57 times by New Zealand, the youngest Barrett brother is arguably the best inside centre in the game today, and as such, his short-term deal caught most by surprise.

The move comes as part of a larger package which sees Barrett commit his future to New Zealand Rugby, with a key component being the allowance of a career sabbatical.

Initially, it was reported that Barrett would follow in his brother Beauden’s footsteps by heading over to Japanese rugby.

Speaking recently on Newstalk ZB, Barrett explained his decision to head to Dublin to link up with the European powerhouse.

“Yeah, it is quite an interesting one, really; I think my eyes for the sabbatical were only ever really heading towards Japan and having a wee stint there.

“But then Leinster put an offer forward, and basically, just the prestige of their club and what they’ve done in the past and what direction they’re heading in the future really stuck out and and excited me.

“So yeah it was an offer I dived a wee bit deeper into and got to the end of it and managed to land a deal with them, so I am bloody excited.”

Delving deeper into the topic, Barrett was asked what excited him about playing in Leinster and Ireland that really excited him.

“Well, they have most of the Irish team, which helps, and they are a bloody good side.

“With Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber, they are bloody good coaches, and Tyler Bleyendaal from the Hurricanes is joining them now.

“Also going up in the timing of my career, I’ll be 27 going 28 at the end of the year, and I feel I should be playing some of my best rugby there.

“The challenge of playing Champions Cup and URC finals is something that I would love to walk towards, and I feel like it’ll grow my game.

“So, more from a development perspective, going into Ireland in a different team environment and culture is just something new and a great new challenge, so it was all very positive things when I was considering my options.”