Rugby: Beauden Barrett reunites with wife Hannah and baby Billie ahead of Japan sabbatical

Beauden Barrett has reunited with his wife Hannah and new-born daughter Billie after spending more than a month based in Australia with the All Blacks for the Bledisloe Cup and Tri Nations.

The Barrett family have linked up on a flight to Japan – where Beauden is set to start his sabbatical with Japanese Top League side Suntory Sungoliath.

The tournament kicks off on January 16, giving Beauden a month and a half to relax in quarantine and with family before his first competitive run out on Japanese soil.

In a video posted to Hannah’s Instagram story, Beauden is seen cradling Billie at the airport before taking her for a walk in his arms.

Hannah also posted a photo of them from the plane with the captain “Sayonara Sweeties!”

“So excited to be reunited with my baby daddy and back together as a little family. In what has been, without a doubt, the most challenging season of my life I am forever grateful to my amazing family and friends. The people that called in to check on me, who brought over dinner, who put a load of washing on for me, who reassured me that I was doing a good job, who gave me a hug when I was at my wits end with tears streaming down my face. I cannot thank you enough and I will miss you SO much. Japan here we come!!” she wrote.

Last week when asked if he was enjoying his final few nights of uninterrupted sleep, Beauden was quick to respond with a stern “yes”.

“We’ll be going up to Japan together … so I can’t wait for that. I think we have two weeks in isolation up there, so have got plenty of time to take over and give Han a break. I’m really looking forward to that,” he said.