Rugby superstar Beauden Barrett has hit out at the rough treatment he received from rugby fans in New Zealand.
The former world player of the year was repeatedly booed by some Hurricanes supporters during his Super Rugby return to Wellington.
It was Barrett’s first appearance in the New Zealand capital with his new team, the Auckland-based Blues, since moving north.
The full-back or outside-half spent nine seasons with the Hurricanes, guiding them to the 2016 Super Rugby title, but it didn’t stop him copping flak.
The 29-year-old was booed every time he touched the ball in the 29-27 loss.
And, addressing what happened, he told Newstalk ZB : "It makes you wonder doesn’t it, how much you can do for a franchise and then be received like that?
"I give them the benefit of the doubt, it could have been booing with a smile on their face at the same time; but I see it as booing nonetheless."
Barrett said he was uncomfortable with booing at rugby matches.
"I think it’s pretty poor to be fair, I’ve never been a fan of it," he stressed.
"When we've had Australian teams play in New Zealand at recent times, whenever that's happened I just cringe.
"There's no place for that in rugby in New Zealand."
Barrett will start at fly-half for the Blues against Warren Gatland's Chiefs on Sunday.
Otere Black's absence means Barrett will step in to his preferred position for the first time since heading to his new club, as they welcome the former Wales boss' side to Eden Park in the early hours of Sunday (UK time).
"I'd say he's the best running ten in the world," assistant coach Daniel Halangahu said of Barrett, adding; "he's probably the best we've ever seen as a running ten.
"It's been a bit of a lesson for the guys around him just how flat and hard Beauden can play through that channel, so it's been a small adaptation for the guys."
Last weekend saw the Chiefs' 33-31 defeat to the Highlanders match an unwanted record, equalling the team's worst record of six consecutive defeats. It was also the first time in history they have lost five home matches on the spin.
The Chiefs led 24-0 after 20 minutes in Hamilton and 31-7 at one point in the second half before throwing it away in a last gasp 33-31 defeat.
Looking ahead to this weekend's clash against the Blues, Gatland said: "Last weekend we had the opportunity to finish the job off, but as we have seen in this competition you need to deliver an 80-minute performance, or longer in some instances and we didn’t do that.
"This week we are looking for that consistency, starting strong once again and then continuing to stay in the game and maintain our focus on what we can control."
