OPINION: Beauden Barrett's four-try performance against the Wallabies at Eden Park has raised the question in some quarters - is he the greatest number 10 in history?
The answer to that question is a hard 'no' - ahem, Dan Carter.
But we may have witnessed the greatest individual performance by a number 10 in an All Black jersey on Saturday night.
The obvious comparison again lies with Carter, who dominated the Lions at Wellington's Westpac Stadium in 2005.
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Carter's performance that night was rated as "perfect" by then-Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward - 33 points, two tries, four conversions and five penalties.
Carter had the ball on a string that night, scoring arguably the greatest individual try in All Blacks history early in the second half.
Carter zoomed down the right-hand touchline, chipped the fullback, re-gathered and scored in the corner. Oh, and then he converted from the sideline.
The All Blacks won 48-18 that night to secure series victory. It was as close to a World Cup final as you could get, and Carter showed his true class and ability.
Barrett was simply brilliant last night, shaking off a rocky first 10 minutes to produce his best-ever test match. His general-play kicking was almost flawless, he ran when he was supposed to run and passed when needed.
Oh, and he scored four tries, the third of which was pure genius.
Barrett scored 30 points in the 40-12 All Blacks romp, adding five conversions to his quartet of five-pointers.
So what do you think? Dan Carter 2005 vs the Lions or Beauden Barrett 2018 vs Australia?
For me, the answer is Dan Carter's 2005 one-man show. The quality of opposition was better and the stage was grander.
Brad Lewis is a Newshub sports producer.
