BY TOBY ROBSON

Beauden Barrett was a little smaller and not quite as quick, but even at the age of six he was gliding around the family home in a Hurricanes jersey.

They young Barrett must have been a sight in his dad Kevin "Smiley" Barrett's playing kit, the baggy heavy cotton of the 1997 Hurricanes jersey hiding the skinny legs that would bring the club its first Super Rugby title 19 years later.

Last week the 25-year-old re-signed with the club through to the end of 2019 and he took time out to talk exclusively to www.hurricanes.co.nz about why representing the team is so close to his heart.

"Back in those days the jerseys were massive and I remember me and my brothers would throw on dads Hurricanes one and wear it around the house and they used to come right down to my ankles," he said. "We still have those jerseys actually, so the family ties go back a while and it was always a dream of mine to one day play for the Hurricanes."

CAPTION: Taranaki's Kevin Barrett played 15 games for the Hurricanes during the 1996 and 1997 seasons as a lock/loose forward. 

Barrett has become an idol to many young rugby players around New Zealand and as well as his dad, he remembers the impact the Hurricanes early stars had on him at an early age.

"I remember when I was six or seven and I going to a game in Napier and meeting Tana [Umaga], who was a big hero of mine," he said. "Tana and I share the same birthday, so that goes back a wee while... mum actually sent me a photo the other day which was of myself and Scott with Jonah [Lomu] when we were just wee tackers, so that was pretty cool and there is another one with Tana. I remember those moments vividly, those are etched in the mind."

In fact, that first pic of the Barrett boys with Tana was on the day Kevin Barrett made his Hurricanes debut at McLean Park, coming on as a substitute against New South Wales in a 19-3 win.

Barrett senior would go on to represent the Canes 15 times during the 1997 and 1998 seasons and young Beauden has been hooked ever since.

But if family history and old heroes were the initial pull of the Hurricanes, the past two seasons were the driving force behind his decision to spurn other offers and stick re-commit for another three years.

Barrett made his Super Rugby debut in 2011 against the Cheetahs and since that moment he's been hell bent on helping the club win its first Super Rugby title. Winning the championship in 2016 has made him hungrier and more excited than ever.

"For years it was all about winning a championship and I've been part of a core group of players who worked so hard toward that," he said. "I think of guys like Reggie Goodes, Brad Shields, TJ [Perenara], guys I've played with for years to finally do it this year, it just made me want the opportunity to do it all over again. I'm just loving my footy so much here and the brand of rugby we play, the coaches we have here, it's all good right now."

While Barrett's gained plenty of plaudits, he says the biggest reason the current squad broke the drought was that they were a TEAM in every sense of the word.

"At the start of the year we had a lot of young players who had big shoes to fill and their confidence just grew through the year and so did the self-belief. With that we built a really strong culture and a lot of trust in each other and belief in what we were doing.

"That was the big difference between winning the title and just another year, that total belief we had in each other."

Since his Hurricanes debut Barrett has thrilled the Westpac Stadium crowd with his play and never more so than during the run to the title this season.

In 18 matches Barrett scored a team leading nine tries in 2016 and added 50 conversions, 25 penalites and one drop goal for a personal tally of 223 points.

During his Investec Super Rugby career, he has scored 938 points in 82 appearances, made up of 21 tries, 163 conversions, 168 penalties and one drop goal.

CAPTION: Barrett intercepts a Chiefs pass during the Investec Super Rugby semifinal at Westpac Stadium and races away to score. PHOTO: Dave Lintott Photography

And the Taranaki lad says he's felt the support of the Hurricanes fan-base all the way.

"Wherever we play in the region I can really feel that support and the last couple of years making the final both years, just missing out in 2015, our fans seemed to really get attached to the team and it was really obvious how much it [winning the title] meant to them.

"Our real diehard fans have stuck with us and it means a lot to have had them there the whole way through. But by the end of the season you saw we filled Westpac Stadium and we saw people from throughout Wellington and throughout the Hurricanes region get right in behind and support us.

"That's what we as players dream of, playing in front of a full stadium like that at whatever level it is, that's what it's all about."

Barrett baulks at the suggestion Westpac Stadium, dubbed Our House in 2016, has become His House.

"It's definitely not my house and I've loved the chants for Ardie [Savea] and [Dane] Colesy, but for the team it really does feel like a fortress and somewhere we love to play. Personally, I always love playing in front of the Canes fans and I'm always excited to get back to Westpac Stadium anytime I get the chance whether it's the All Blacks or the Canes. I'm already looking forward to next season."

CAPTION: Barrett celebrates after the Hurricanes Investec Super Rugby final win over the Lions at Westpac Stadium.