Berrick Barnes

Berrick Steven Barnes (born 28 May 1986) is a former Australian professional rugby union footballer.

His usual position is fly-half or inside centre.

He is previously played with Japanese Top League clubs Panasonic Wild Knights and the Ricoh Black Rams, as well as in the Super Rugby competition with the NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds.

He also played for the Wallabies in international matches.

Barnes was born in Brisbane but raised in Kingaroy, a town in country Queensland.

He attended Kingaroy State School and played junior rugby league for the Kingaroy Red Ants.

He also played men's A-grade cricket at 12 years of age.

In 1999, Barnes took up a scholarship to attend Ipswich Grammar School.

He switched to playing rugby union and was selected in representative rugby teams including the Queensland U-16s.

Barnes continued playing rugby league as well, and was picked for Brisbane Broncos development camps.

Barnes was a star wicketkeeper-batsman in junior cricket and was also good enough to win state championship medals in swimming.

His sports master at Ipswich, Nigel Greive, described Berrick Barnes as "the most talented all-rounder I've ever been associated with".

By his final year at Ipswich in 2003, Barnes had played in the school's First XI cricket team for five years, and in the First XV rugby union team for four years.

Barnes began his professional sporting career straight out of school.

He was scouted by the Brisbane Broncos, Queensland Reds and Queensland Bulls, but decided to join the Broncos.

When Barnes started at the Brisbane Broncos in 2004, he played in the Queensland Cup competition for the Broncos' feeder club, Toowoomba Clydesdales.

He played mainly in the or positions.

Kangaroos Coach John Dixon praised Barnes for his performances in the Queensland Cup, leading to his selection in 2004 for a Kangaroos Invitational XIII against Papua New Guinea in Townsville and for the Junior Kangaroos against the PNG Junior Kumuls in Lae.

His playing position was for both matches.

Barnes also played for Queensland U-19 against NSW U-19 in curtain-raiser matches to State of Origin in 2004 and 2005.

Barnes made his NRL debut for Brisbane in 2005 at the age of 18, coming off the bench in round 8 against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

He went on to make 9 NRL appearances for the Broncos, scoring one try.

However, shortly after his first run-on start with the Broncos, Barnes signed a two-year-deal with the Queensland Reds to switch codes and play rugby union.

Barnes played for the Queensland Reds from 2006 to 2009.

He made 45 appearances and scored 105 points, including 6 tries, for the Reds in Super Rugby.

Barnes made his international debut aged 21 in Australia's first pool match of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, against Japan.

After only three minutes on the field, and with his first touch of the ball, Barnes scored his first Test try.

He scored again, five minutes from the end of the game, which Australia won 91–3.

After the match, in which he excelled, he said:

"The crowd was unbelievable. It felt like a Boxing Day Test. Standing in that tunnel, I've never heard a roar like it. Standing next to the Japanese as we waited to walk out was pretty special. I was giving a few 'yahoos'. The boys gave me a bit about that. I was pumped. I wasn't going to hold it in."

The following week, for Australia's next World Cup match against at the Millennium Stadium, Barnes was originally selected as a replacement.

Stephen Larkham injured his knee, however, and Barnes was told on the morning of the game that he would be the starting fly-half.

He played the full match and made a significant contribution to Australia's 32–20 victory, setting up a try for Matt Giteau and then scoring a field goal from 32 metres.

He added another drop goal in Australia's next pool game, a 55–12 win over Fiji that assured Australia a place in the quarter-finals.

Barnes was rested for the final pool game but returned to the starting line-up for the quarter-final match against England in Marseille, where Australia exited the tournament.

In 2009 he was captain of the Reds side for the first half of the season while James Horwill recovered from injury.

In 2010 Barnes joined the NSW Waratahs, and later signed on until the end of 2013.

He made 43 appearances, and scored 194 points including 4 tries for the Waratahs in Super Rugby.

In 2011, he suffered from "Footballer's Migraine" and took three months off from the game, from June 2011.

Barnes retired from rugby in April 2020.