OPINION: The All Blacks may have stumbled onto a winning tactic with their second Bledisloe Cup backline, with the trio of Richie Mo'unga, Beauden and Jordie Barrett sharing the field from kickoff.
On Saturday, the All Blacks produced arguably their most convincing performance of the year, defeating the Wallabies 40-14 to keep the Rugby Championship for another year.
Injuries to David Havili and Quinn Tupaea forced coach Ian Foster's hand, shifting Jordie Barrett from fullback into midfield, with brother Beauden taking the No.15 jersey.
Along with Richie Mo'unga at first-five, the switch brought the best out of the All Blacks backline, with Rieko Ioane and Will Jordan also having nights to remember at centre and wing respectively.
In the past, the Beauden Barrett-Mo'unga partnership has been maligned, after its failure at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, but what if it wasn't the "what"?
What if it was the "who"? Maybe it's time for two playmakers to become three.
The addition of Jordie Barrett appeared to be the final piece of the jigsaw, rounding out the All Blacks' attack and in getting the best out of his older brother.
We shouldn't be surprised. Jordie Barrett in midfield was arguably the shift the Hurricanes needed to overcome their indifferent start to this year's Super Rugby season, giving their best playmaker more responsibility in the absence of a game-breaking No.10.
His apparent physical advantages over Havili and a more natural flair on attack could see him as the more attractive option at 12, once Foster has a full complement to pick from.
Granted, Saturday's success is a small sample size, but the blueprint is there for Foster to move forward with.
Havili's role at No.12 this year has shown that the All Blacks clearly want second-five to be a playmaking option, with a kicking game now seemingly a requirement, as well as the ability to pass and run.
And while that could shut the door on the likes of Jack Goodhue, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and potentially even Anton Lienert-Brown, the risk would be worth the reward, if Eden Park was anything to go by.
Having Beauden Barrett operate from fullback with Jordie at 12 breathed new life into an All Blacks backline that has often looked stale in 2022.
Allowing Beauden to operate with playmaking responsibility falling to his younger brother allowed the former two-time World Rugby Player of the Year to operate on instinct.
That extra second of time on the ball gave him more clarity in his play and he hardly put a foot wrong.
We've seen time and time again how dangerous Beauden Barrett is from broken play, able to run, pass and kick with lethal effectiveness.
And it's not just Beauden that could benefit from Jordie's midfield switch.
Damian McKenzie is still to return to All Blacks ranks and is just as capable with ball in hand, while Jordan's desire to move infield was just as apparent on Saturday night.
The real test awaits, with European defences presenting a sterner test than the recently vanquished Wallabies.
But if Saturday night is anything to go by, the Mo'unga-Barrett-Barrett combination will provide more than a few answers.
Alex Powell is a Newshub digital sport producer
