All Black Beauden Barrett’s hand injury will not keep him on the sidelines for as long as initially feared.
Barrett was forced off the field after sustaining a hand fracture during the Blues’ defeat to the Brumbies at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday.
Blues head coach Vern Cotter who initially revealed that “It doesn’t look particularly good” when queried on the extent of Barrett’s injury after the Brumbies game said they were optimistic that the All Blacks star could be back in action for the Super Rugby Pacific champions’ home clash with the Hurricanes on April 5.
“For Beauden, I think it’s positive. We’re looking at three to four weeks,” he told Stuff.
Cotter selected Barrett at full-back for their first three matches but shifted him to fly-half for the Brumbies clash and the 33-year-old delivered a superb performance.
Barrett was brilliant on attack during the opening 40 minutes as he contributed seven points courtesy of a well-taken try and a conversion.
He did not come out for the second half, due to his injury, but eventually gained 65 metres with ball in hand after making eight runs with two clean breaks and five defenders beaten.
The Blues held a 20-10 lead at half-time but with Barrett off the field, they capitulated spectacularly and eventually suffered a 21-20 defeat, which was a significant result for the Brumbies as it was their first away victory in the fixture since 2013.
Apart from Barrett, the champions have 10 other players on their injury list and they face a daunting task against the table-topping Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday.
Following that clash, they will host the Crusaders at Eden Park before having a bye with Barrett’s expected return against the Hurricanes set to take place the following week.
“We had gone through the process of getting him reinvested within the group,” said Cotter in reference to Barrett missing the Blues’ victorious 2024 campaign which he missed due to a sabbatical with Japan Rugby League One outfit Toyota Verblitz.
“He had a really good first half [against the Brumbies] and gave us those options around his running game, which is exceptional, and it changes our profile a little bit.
“For him to leave at half-time, it was perhaps something we felt as a team.”
