Barnes shifted to inside centre

Barnes shifted to inside centre
March 19, 2008 Barnes shifted to inside centre - Super 14 - Fox Sports

AUSTRALIA five-eighth Berrick Barnes has again been named at inside centre for Queensland for his comeback Super 14 clash against the Lions at Johannesburg on Sunday (AEDT).

Barnes is the only change to the Reds outfit which pulled off a stunning 40-8 upset win over the Bulls in Brisbane last weekend.

He missed the boilover after withdrawing on match eve with a calf muscle injury and was replaced in the centres by fellow former Brisbane Broncos rugby league player, Charlie Fetoai.

Reds coach Phil Mooney has again opted for Quade Cooper at No.10 for the Lions clash after the boom teenager combined well with halfback Sam Cordingley in the bonus point victory over the Super 14 defending champions.

"Berrick's an international player and we need him in the side," Mooney said.

"It's tough on Charlie (Fetoai) as he did an excellent job for us when called into the side against the Bulls.

"But it's fantastic for our depth to have a player like him who can step up at short notice and perform so well."

Wallabies great Tim Horan has already called for Barnes to concentrate on inside centre at Queensland because he does not believe he could topple Matt Giteau for the national No.10 guernsey.

Mooney was clearly relieved he could use a relatively unchanged side against the Lions after wielding the axe in recent weeks to try and spark the 2007 wooden spooners.

But Mooney warned Queensland that their five-tries-to-one victory over the Bulls would mean nothing if they could not back up in South Africa.

He said only a string of wins would restore pride following their woeful 2007 season and disappointing 2008 start.

"The 22 did the job against the Bulls," Mooney said.

"It's now up to them to give us a back-to-back performance of the same or better quality against the Lions."

The Lions are in 12th place on the Super 14 - five points behind the Reds.

Queensland have settled into their Pretoria training base after leaving Brisbane on Monday for their South African jaunt that will also include clashes against the Sharks and Cheetahs.


Reds: Chris Latham, Clinton Schifcofske, Morgan Turinui, Berrick Barnes, Peter Hynes, Quade Cooper, Sam Cordingley (c), Leroy Houston, Poutasi Luafutu, John Roe, James Horwill, Van Humphries, Dayna Edwards, Sean Hardman, Greg Holmes. Replacements: Stephen Moore, Rodney Blake, Ed O'Donoghue, David Croft, Ben Lucas, Brando Va'aulu, Scott Higginbotham

AAP

For a number of you..judging by your Wallaby team wishlists, your wish has come true.

Barnes must switch like I did: Horan
Wayne Smith | March 18, 2008 Barnes must switch like I did: Horan | The Australian

WALLABIES legend Tim Horan believes Berrick Barnes must do as he did back in the late 1980s and switch to inside centre to avoid a fruitless challenge to one of the world's best five-eighths.

Horan arrived in Brisbane from Toowoomba in 1988 as a widely acclaimed teenage five-eighth but quickly realised entry into the Queensland and Australian sides would be blocked for years to come by Michael Lynagh.

It would have made for a fascinating rivalry between two of the greats of Australian rugby had Horan dug in and fought Lynagh for the No10 jersey. Instead, he converted to an inside centre, made his Test debut there the following year and the Wallabies enjoyed seven fruitful seasons of the two peerless Queenslanders playing side-by-side in the World Cup-winning backline.

Now, Horan is convinced, the moment has arrived for Barnes, the Wallabies incumbent five-eighth, to follow his lead.

"Gits (Matt Giteau) is going to be the Wallabies 10 for a long time to come," Horan said. "But as a 12 (inside centre), there's a door open for Berrick to stay in the Test side."

Giteau's move to five-eighth leaves Australia short on inside centres, so much so that Stirling Mortlock, arguably the world's best outside centre, might move in one spot to play alongside Ryan Cross in a new-look Wallabies centres combination. But that would leave Australia committed to a power game in midfield at a time when there are real rewards to be gained by having playmakers at both 10 and 12.

Whether or not Barnes wants to make the move, it has been forced upon him for the Reds' Super 14 match against the Lions in Johannesburg early on Sunday morning (AEDT).

Quade Cooper's brilliant weekend display at 10 for the Reds against the Bulls - a match Barnes missed because of a calf injury - ignited the Queensland backline, although no cheap correlations should be drawn because Cooper was playing behind a dominant pack, a luxury denied Barnes so far this season.

Again, Horan feels it is simply the best use of the available talent to have Cooper at 10 and Barnes at 12 in the Reds' line-up. "Berrick is the more adaptable, the more suited to inside centre," Horan said.

"Having two pivots allows Queensland to stand one either side of the ruck. So far this season, we've seen Berrick afraid to go hard into contact because he has been worried that would leave the Reds without a playmaker at first receiver. But with Quade there now, he doesn't have to hold back."

The other advantage, Horan said, was that Reds coach Phil Mooney could use Cooper in his starting XV for the rest of the season. The more game time he receives in his favoured position for Queensland, the less likely the hotly pursued 19-year-old will be to succumb to rugby league offers.

Doubts have often been expressed over whether Barnes has the speed to handle five-eighth at the highest level, let alone inside centre, but Mooney is quick to dismiss such talk.

"Just think back to those tackles Berrick made against the Brumbies, chasing guys down from behind after giving them 10m start," Mooney said yesterday, before the Reds' departure for South Africa. "He's not a sprinter but he's what I call rugby quick, fast over the distances that count."

The three-match tour of the republic also will provide Mooney with the opportunity to make his pitch to hooker Stephen Moore and tighthead Rodney Blake, both of whom are in danger of being lost to Queensland. Moore is being chased hard by Western Force and the Brumbies while Blake, whose contract will be downgraded by the ARU after he failed to play a Test last season, is considering a move to France.

If the recent bullish talk about Queensland making the playoffs is to have any credibility, the Reds must make the most of their tour bookend matches against the 12th-ranked Lions and bottom-placed Cheetahs. Yet Mooney also is upbeat about their chances against the unbeaten Sharks.

"Queensland sides traditionally tend to go pretty well in Durban," Mooney said.

hopefully the experiment lasts for longer then a week..

Eddie Jones admittedly tried this combination last year as well, i think it was the game against the Tahs maybe.