{"id":75627,"date":"2025-05-05T05:07:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T05:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/75627\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T05:07:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T05:07:10","slug":"jordie-barrett-decision-perplexes-ex-leinster-star-after-champions-cup-exit-planet-rugby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/75627\/","title":{"rendered":"Jordie Barrett decision perplexes ex-Leinster star after Champions Cup exit : Planet Rugby"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Leinster fly-half Andy Dunne admits he cannot fathom why Jordie Barrett did not start their Investec Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton on Saturday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The now journalist, who also turned out for Harlequins, Bath and Connacht during his career, was speaking after the game and was asked the question about Barrett\u2019s role.<\/p>\n

Dunne believes that there was no \u201clogical reason\u201d why Barrett<\/a> didn\u2019t start the fixture at the Aviva Stadium, with the All Blacks centre coming on to the field on 49 minutes.<\/p>\n

Barrett benched<\/p>\n

Speaking on Off the Ball after Saints\u2019 Champions Cup<\/a> win, he said: \u201cYeah. Again, we spoke about this pre-game. There seemed to be a pattern in selection based on form. Max Deegan got selected on form, Tommy O\u2019Brien got selected on the wing on form. So if you are keeping that pattern across the team, on form, Jordie Barrett starts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunne continued by suggesting there might have been a directive from the Irish Rugby Football Union that both Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose had to start the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t quite work out why he didn\u2019t, unless there\u2019s a directive from the IRFU that you know two current Irish internationals, who are excellent and are very familiar and a seasoned partnership together \u2013 they don\u2019t necessarily weaken the team in any way \u2013 unless there is some kind of directive that they needed to start,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t work out any other logical reason why Barrett doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leinster v Northampton: Five takeaways as \u2018heroic\u2019 Saints condemn \u2018champions elect\u2019 to \u2018another year of hurt\u2019 in Champions Cup classic<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Barrett entered the field and made his presence felt in many ways on Saturday and Dunne was mightily impressed by the All Blacks centre\u2019s performance in the second period.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe made a huge impact when he came on. His aggression, physicality and off the ball when you\u2019re at the game you can see how impactful he is around communication,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n

\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f \u2018I can\u2019t quite work out why he didn\u2019t unless there\u2019s a directive from the IRFU\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n

Andy Dunne cannot fathom why Jordie Barrett did not start against Northampton, as his impact on the game was incredible, but too late. | \ud83c\udfc9<\/p>\n

Rugby on Off The Ball w\/ @bankofireland<\/a> |\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Qi3QfvnmrB<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Off The Ball (@offtheball) May 4, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cAt times that Leinster<\/a> team in the second-half looked shellshocked, you know. Body language, players were standing very far apart, motionless at times, staring into space almost.<\/p>\n

Eerily quiet<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were a number of occasions where we looked and said \u2018there\u2019s not much talking going on, even though they\u2019re behind\u2019. Often when you\u2019re behind, you\u2019d like to see players jumping into small little groups of two or three trying to problem solve. But it was very quiet, eerily quiet at times between them, but when Barrett came on and that seemed to pick up, that level of communication and integration of thought among different parts of the team running between the 9, 10 back into the back-row prior to lineout calls.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere just seemed to be an increase in that and sometimes players of that ilk can deliver that. But again, it\u2019s going to be under the list of maybe top 10 hard to fathom reasons that Leinster have found another way to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Leinster player ratings v Northampton: World Cup winner fails to deliver \u2018decisive inches\u2019 but he wasn\u2019t the only \u2018limp\u2019 performer<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n