Beauden Barrett

Beauden Barrett is a New Zealand rugby union player who has been part of the All Blacks since 2012. He is one of only three players to reach 140 Test matches for New Zealand, and the most-capped back in the country’s history.

He is best known as a first five-eighth — the position that runs a team’s attack — though he has spent large stretches of his career at fullback instead. He won back-to-back World Rugby Player of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017.

This page covers his background, his club and provincial career, his record with the All Blacks, and where he stands in 2026.

Early life and family

Barrett was born on 27 May 1991 in New Plymouth and grew up on the family farm at Pungarehu, in South Taranaki near Ōpunake. He is one of eight children — four brothers and three sisters.

Rugby was already in the family. His father, Kevin Barrett, played 167 first-class matches for Taranaki and made 14 appearances for the Hurricanes in 1997 and 1998.

Three of Beauden’s brothers went on to play professionally. Kane captained Taranaki, while Scott and Jordie both became All Blacks. In 2017 the family became the first to have three brothers named in the same All Blacks squad.

Barrett spent a year in Ireland aged eight, attending school in County Meath, where he and Kane picked up Gaelic football. Back home he played club rugby for Rahotu and Coastal before attending Francis Douglas Memorial College in New Plymouth, where he made the first XV.

Taranaki and the move into Super Rugby

Barrett made his provincial debut for Taranaki in July 2010, coming off the bench against Northland at 19 years old. He was named the province’s most promising player that season.

In the same year he was selected for the New Zealand Sevens squad for the final two rounds of the world series. He also represented the New Zealand Under-20 side in 2011.

His 2011 provincial season was stronger again. He scored 90 points, kicked nine penalties in a single match against Bay of Plenty, and helped Taranaki take the Ranfurly Shield off Southland.

The Hurricanes years, 2011 to 2019

Barrett joined the Hurricanes as a wider squad member in 2011, turning down an offer from the Blues to do it. He debuted that year off the bench against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

He became the side’s first-choice playmaker and goal-kicker across the following seasons. His best year came in 2016, when he scored 223 points — the most of any player in Super Rugby that season — and was named man of the match in the final as the Hurricanes beat the Lions 20-3 to win the club’s first title.

When he left in 2019, the Hurricanes recorded his tally as 1,244 points from 125 appearances, making him the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. Some statistical databases list the figure slightly lower, around 1,238 to 1,240, depending on how a handful of matches are counted.

He announced in 2019 that he would move to the Auckland-based Blues, making clear the decision was for personal rather than rugby reasons.

Blues, Japan, and the second half of his career

Barrett joined the Blues for the 2020 season and has been contracted there since, apart from two sabbaticals in Japan.

He played for Suntory Sungoliath in 2021, scoring 173 points in ten matches, and for Toyota Verblitz across the 2023-24 Japan Rugby League One season. He returned to New Zealand and rejoined the Blues for the 2025 campaign.

Sabbaticals of this kind are a feature of the New Zealand system. Senior players are sometimes allowed a season overseas while remaining contracted to New Zealand Rugby, which keeps them eligible for the All Blacks — a player who signs permanently abroad loses that eligibility.

All Blacks career

Barrett was called into the All Blacks squad in May 2012 and made his Test debut on 23 June that year against Ireland in Hamilton, coming off the bench and kicking nine points in a 60-0 win.

He held a world record for the best possible start to a Test career: 19 wins from his first 19 matches.

His first Test try came against France in Christchurch in 2013 and was voted the international players’ association try of the year.

By 2016 he had displaced Aaron Cruden as New Zealand’s first-choice number 10. He was the leading scorer at that year’s Rugby Championship with 81 points and won the first of his two World Player of the Year awards.

World Cup record

Barrett has played at three Rugby World Cups.

At the 2015 tournament in England he appeared in six matches, starting only against Namibia and coming off the bench elsewhere. He scored three tries across the tournament, including New Zealand’s final try in the 34-17 win over Australia in the final.

The 2019 tournament in Japan ended with New Zealand finishing third. Barrett played five matches, mostly at fullback.

In 2023 he started alongside brothers Scott and Jordie in the final against South Africa in Paris. He scored New Zealand’s only try in a 12-11 defeat — making him the rare player to have scored a try in two separate World Cup finals.

Team honours

Barrett has been part of All Blacks squads that won the southern hemisphere championship ten times: in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

He has not won it every year of his career. Australia won the shortened 2015 edition, and South Africa took the title in 2019, 2024 and 2025.

Understanding his two positions

Barrett has moved between two roles, which is unusual at international level. Both are explained in more detail in our guide to rugby positions.

First five-eighth (number 10). Also called the fly-half. This is the team’s main decision-maker. The first five receives the ball from the halfback and chooses what happens next — pass, run, or kick. In most sides this player also kicks at goal.

Fullback (number 15). The last line of defence, standing deepest on the field. The fullback catches high kicks, covers space behind the defensive line, and joins the attack from depth to create an extra attacker.

Barrett’s speed suits fullback, where there is more open space. His kicking and organisation suit first five. Coaches have used him in both, sometimes shifting him mid-match.

Off the field

Barrett and his brothers have publicly supported UpsideDowns Education Trust, a New Zealand charity that funds speech and language therapy for children with Down syndrome. Their sister Zara has Down syndrome, and the family shared her story in a 2019 documentary segment to raise awareness for the organisation.

He proposed to Hannah Laity in 2018. The couple married in January 2019 in a private ceremony on Rakino Island, and they have three daughters.

Where things stand in 2026

Barrett turned 35 in May 2026 and remains contracted to New Zealand Rugby through the end of 2027, covering next year’s World Cup in Australia.

His position in the side has changed. Under new head coach Dave Rennie, he was left out of the starting line-up for all three July internationals, with Hurricanes playmaker Ruben Love preferred at first five. That was a marked shift from 2025, when he started ten Tests.

He was named to start the opening match of New Zealand’s August 2026 tour of South Africa, a 38-21 win over the Stormers in Cape Town. Because that was a tour fixture rather than a full international, his Test cap total was unchanged.

He sits four caps behind Richie McCaw’s 148 and nine behind Sam Whitelock’s record of 153. He is also within a few tries of Doug Howlett’s All Blacks record of 49 Test tries — no New Zealander has yet reached 50. Whether he reaches either mark depends on selection over the next two seasons.

You can find current squad details on our page covering All Blacks players, and more on his brother’s career in our profile of Scott Barrett.

Frequently asked questions

How many caps does Beauden Barrett have?
He has 144 Test caps for the All Blacks as at August 2026, placing him third on New Zealand’s all-time list behind Sam Whitelock and Richie McCaw.

What position does Beauden Barrett play?
Primarily first five-eighth, the number 10 who directs a team’s attack. He has also played extensively at fullback, wearing number 15.

Has Beauden Barrett won a Rugby World Cup?
Yes. He was part of the squad that won the 2015 tournament in England and scored the final try in the win over Australia. He also played in the 2023 final, which New Zealand lost to South Africa.

Who are Beauden Barrett’s brothers?
He has four brothers. Scott and Jordie have both played for the All Blacks, and Kane played for Taranaki and the Blues. Their father Kevin also played for Taranaki and the Hurricanes.

What clubs has Beauden Barrett played for?
Taranaki at provincial level from 2010, the Hurricanes in Super Rugby from 2011 to 2019, and the Blues from 2020. He also had spells in Japan with Suntory Sungoliath and Toyota Verblitz.

How old is Beauden Barrett?
He was born on 27 May 1991, which makes him 35.

Is Beauden Barrett still playing?
Yes. He is contracted to New Zealand Rugby through the end of 2027 and played for the Blues in the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.