The red-faced All Black! New Zealand’s Beauden Barrett somehow spills the ball just metres from the tryline – with NO Canadian touching him – after sprinting half the pitch in the last seconds of his side’s World Cup win
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls… Beauden Barrett is human after all.
The 28-year-old has long been considered as one of the best players in world, but it appears even he can be prone to a mistake that would be unforgivable at Sunday-league level.
Facing Canada in their second Rugby World Cup Pool B encounter, Barrett showed his class with a devastating line-break in overtime.
Beauden Barrett suffered an ignominy during the end of New Zealand’s win over Canada
In overtime, he carved through the Canada defence after being passed to inside his own 22m
The 28-year-old looked set to score a 10th try for the All Blacks as he headed for the tryline
However, as he was being closed down by Canada’s Taylor Paris (centre) he fumbled the ball
Barrett could only watch on as he lost the ball from his grasp just metres out from the tryline
The two-time World Rugby Player of the Year could only look up in disbelief at his mistake
Collecting a pass just outside their own 22metre-line, the full-back seared through a non-existent Canadian defence to seemingly score the easiest of tries.
However, as he closed in on the Canadian tryline he inexplicably dropped the ball unopposed at the Oita Bank Dome in Oita, Japan.
Being chased down by Canada replacement Taylor Paris, it seems that Barrett lost the ball as he prepared to shift it from under his right arm to his left in order to fend off the incoming tackle.
While the incident will be one the two-time World Rugby Player of the Year will be keen to quickly forget, he did manage to score a try earlier in the All Blacks comfortable rout.
New Zealand delivered a masterclass as they demolished World Cup opponents Canada 63-0 in their second Pool B game in Oita.
The reigning world champions ran in eight tries and were awarded a penalty try against outclassed Canada, with the All Blacks’ Barrett brothers, Beauden, Jordie and Scott, all touching down.
The All Blacks, bidding for a record third-straight World Cup crown, ground out a 23-13 victory over South Africa in their opening match but produced all their dazzling line-breaking skills against the Canadians, who had lost their opening game 48-7 to Italy.
New Zealand coach Steve Hansen made 11 changes with Beauden, Jordie and Scott Barrett becoming the first trio of brothers to appear for the country at a World Cup.
The Barretts also became only the second trio of brothers to start a World Cup match for any nation, following Tongan siblings Elisi, Manu and Fe’ao Vunipola in the 1995 clash with Scotland.
Centres Sonny Bill Williams and Jack Goodhue, wing Rieko Ioane and scrum-half TJ Perenara were among the other changes.