from skinny farmer’s son to bigger deal than the prime minister

IIt’s a beautiful winter’s day in Barrett Country, just off New Zealand’s State Highway 3 that curves around the west of the North Island. Twelve degrees Celsius, a cloudless blue sky and in the distance the dormant volcano that gives the region its name.

Officially this is Taranaki. But considering this is where the Barretts grew into one of the most dominant families in rugby, they may have to rename it at some point. Barrett’s parents — Kevin and Robyn — still live here on their dairy farm, supplying milk from their cows to the Fonterra company, and they also supply All Blacks.

Mount Taranaki is a near-perfect, snow-capped triangle, stretching to 2,518 metres – it also served as Mount Fuji