Five facts on World Rugby Player of the Year Beauden Barrett

Five facts on New Zealand fly-half Beauden Barrett after he won the World Player of the Year award on Sunday:
+ Aged just 19 Barrett made history as he appeared for the Super Rugby franchise Hurricanes, making it the first time a father and son had represented the side. His father Kevin ‘Smiley’ Barrett, who played for the Hurricanes in 1997/98, lacked the finesse of his son as he was a rugged forward fitting in either the engine room of the second row or in the back row. Beauden, one of five boys along with three sisters, said he must have inherited his mother?s family rugby genes. “I’ve always been a back. I think I’ve got the Sinclair genes on mum’s side and obviously all the forwards have dad’s genes,” he told stuff.co.nz six years ago.
+ Losing to Ireland and ending their world-record run of 18 successive Test wins would have been painful, but Beauden honed some of his skills when at the age of five he and the family moved to Ireland after his father was offered a farm manager post in County Meath. Their school only played gaelic football which involves kicking a round ball but Barrett junior?s ability to kick the ball cross-field for team-mates to catch and touch down was learnt from those early days. “I have no doubt, you can claim fame to that!” ‘Smiley’ Beauden told www.The42.ie this year.
+ Whilst the Barrett boys enjoyed their time in Ireland, their initial reception at school was one of amazement at their attire as their father recounted. “Kane, Beaudy and Scotty were straight into school,” Barrett told www.The42.ie. “The first day, they turned up to school in their bare feet and they got some looks. Everyone thought, ‘these poor New Zealand boys without shoes on,’ but that’s what we do. They were sloshing around in the snow, it was quite funny.”
+ Barrett made his debut for the All Blacks in 2012 coming on as a replacement in the 60-0 drubbing of Ireland. He has barely looked back since making the most of Aaron Cruden — who had assumed the first choice fly-half role as Dan Carter was out injured –being dropped as punishment for a drunken night out in 2014. Cruden is still in the squad but it was Barrett who came on as a replacement in the World Cup final last year and scored the third and final try in the All Blacks’ 34-17 victory over Australia.
+ Barrett has impressed All Blacks coach Steve Hansen and even when his kicking has been off he has shown he is more than a kicker. That was evident in the 57-15 hammering of South Africa in the Rugby Championship in October in Durban when he scored two tries. “They told us we wouldn’t be able to replace the other guy (Carter) but we’ve always said that if you cut down the tall trees the little trees will grow.” The ever demanding coach did add though: “He’s growing. He’s not the finished article yet.”