Richie Mo'unga and Beauden Barrett primed for clash of All Blacks' pivots

Buckle up for another chapter in the Richie Mo'unga v Beauden Barrett debate.

Denied a head-to-head clash between the All Blacks' pivots in round two in Christchurch because Barrett wasn't back from an extended break, Crusaders first-five Mo'unga and his Hurricanes counterpart will line up opposite one another in Wellington on Friday night. 

The last time they clashed - during last year's semifinal in Christchurch - Mo'unga outplayed Barrett in a 30-12 win, the second time he did so during the red and blacks' march to a ninth Super Rugby title. 

The drums started beating for Mo'unga to become the top dog. Everyone seemingly had an opinion on who should don the black No 10 jersey. 

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen stuck with Barrett, only handing Mo'unga two starts – against Argentina in Nelson and Japan in Tokyo – but there remains a contingent of fans who believe the All Blacks would be better equipped if Mo'unga took over the reins at the World Cup in Japan later this year. 

However, speaking to media in Christchurch on Wednesday, Mo'unga made it clear where he sees himself in the pecking order. 

"It's an awesome opportunity to put yourself against the best in the world," he said. "For me, I get that chance this weekend. Really excited for that. I know him quite well and we're really good mates. 

"He's a very special player. One of the few that can turn something from nothing, so we're really  aware of that, and what he's done in his games back has been outstanding."

While the Mo'unga v Barrett debate raged on late last year, it has not yet picked up this year. 

That could be down to Mo'unga's sluggish start to the season off the tee, an area of the game Barrett has often been criticised for.

Through four appearances, Mo'unga is kicking at 50 per cent (nine from 18), a figure which was significantly worse (33 per cent) after he landed just four of 12 attempts through the first three rounds.

In comparison, Barrett has connected on 17 of his 22 (77 per cent) shots at goal in four appearances.

Before getting back on track by slotting four of five attempts in a pasting of the Chiefs in Christchurch in round four, Mo'unga knew something had to be done. 

"It was probably the first week that I really mentally prepared to kick well," he said. "I came in on a Wednesday, which is usually our day off, and had a kick. It was something different for me but something I've been doing the last couple of weeks. 

"It's really important when you've driving the game and you come to a part where it's just you and yourself, to mentally be in the right frame of mind to be really hard on yourself to nail those ones."

The 24-year-old hasn't played since March 9, given the round five match against the Highlanders was cancelled in the aftermath of the Christchurch terrorist attack, and was on an All Blacks enforced break last weekend. 

He watched on from Christchurch as the Crusaders fumbled and bumbled their way to a 20-12 loss to the Waratahs in Sydney, their first loss in more than a year. 

"I've come in this week bouncing off the walls, where as the boys have had a tough game in Sydney. So I've got to sort of keep an open mind that they've had a long trip over there and a long trip back," Mo'unga said.

"We've had an awesome review, and it's been an honest one . . . playing in wet conditions and making that many errors - something went wrong there. The best thing for our team is that we never question our effort, we never question our work rate. Those are things we pride ourselves on. If we have that, the rest is easy to fix."