ABs rate Cooper's understudy Barnes
Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:07
Berrick Barnes has big boots to fill. (c) Gallo
Wallaby playmaker Berrick Barnes poses as big a threat to New Zealand as the suspended Quade Cooper in the No.10 jersey according to All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith.
Should Australia's appeal against Cooper's two-week ban for a spear tackle be unsuccessful, Barnes is the likeliest candidate to take over the reins at pivot and run the dangerous Wallaby backline.
While the highly rated Cooper is a major loss to Australia's attack-minded gameplan, Smith views Barnes as an equally potent attacking weapon to be wary of.
"You seldom prepare for one player," Smith told NZPA.
"As defence coach I've found it [Australia] quite a difficult team to prepare for because they've got a lot of strategies, a lot of different plays, they switch play quickly and they offload well.
"They give a lot of inside balls - that's a team thing rather than a Quade Cooper thing.
"Barnes is a very capable player, we've had a bit to do with him the last couple of years," Smith added.
The 24-year-old has no qualms about filling Cooper's boots and fighting his way into a more regular starting berth in the Test line-up.
"I won't play the same sort of style as Quade and do the same sort of things but I'll bring what I can to the table and I'll have a lot of help outside me in the form of Gits [Giteau]," Barnes told NZPA.
"Gits and I have played together enough to know each other's skill sets."
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