JUNE/JULY 2015 // NZ RUGBY WORLD //
27
[ the smiths ]
As a first-five, when your halfback is there nice and quick and
the ball placement from the forwards is really fast, it allows
you to see the pictures in front of you more clearly to execute what
you need to.’ AAron cruden
It ’s eAr ly, well before 8am which for
professional rugby players at least, is early. It’s
a couple of days before the All Blacks play
England in the third test in Hamilton last year.
Aaron Smith, who is almost always chipper
and possibly hyper-active, takes his seat to talk
to a small media huddle. He seems, for him, a
little pre-occupied and grouchy. What’s getting
his goat is the constant urging from the training
sta to eat more.
At 82kg, he’s about the size of one of Charlie
Faumuina’s legs and the coaching sta want
to tread that fine line of keeping some weight
on their champion halfback without slowing
him down.
He needs to be pass and dash but he also
needs to be confident in the contact and like it
or lump it, he defends a space that can often
be breached by the big men with him as the
only resistance.
It’s easy to believe that Smith, for all his faux
grouchiness, did indeed return to breakfast
after his media commitments and force down
the extra calories. And it’s just as easy to
believe that he complies every time because
Smith is a young man who doesn’t need to be
reminded of how special it is to be an All Black.
Not only that, but he’s a young man who
knows the essence of team and the value of a
culture that puts the collective ahead of the
individual. What the coaches want from him,
they get.
When he first came into the All Blacks in
2012, he was encouraged to find more accuracy
and control. He had all the energy in the world
but not necessarily the composure to ensure
he delivered a consistently measured and
flowing performance.
Two years on and the message had been
absorbed loud and clear. Each test, in 2014 he
ran close to 10km. Compare that with 2012 and
it’s about a 25 per cent increase in aerobic
content and yet his accuracy has improved
out of sight and his influence has grown.
As a consequence, Smith has become one
of the best halfbacks in the world game.
Maybe even the best and yet the boy from
Manawatu remains very much the boy from
Manawatu.
His home spun charm hasn’t been lost. He
hasn’t forgotten who he is or made the
mistake of believing he’s bigger news than
those around him.
His selflessness and desire to give all he’s
got was revealed late last year on tour in
Europe. He was asked about playing for 80
minutes and what sort of physical state he
typically ends up in the final quarter.
“Sometimes with the game, particularly
near the end, sometimes it is easy for the
coaches to make the decision to sub,” he said.
“In other games I have made the decision and
said I am literally out on my feet and in other
games they make a good read and let me go
for longer if they see I have a spring in my step.
“In Brisbane I was out on my feet after 70
minutes and I said to the trainer, that is me, I
am not going to be as eective as TJ is going to
be. I have got to be pretty honest about the
judgement of that as well and I am not going
to be one to stay out there because of pride. I
am there for the team and when I know I can’t
do my role to the best then I am more than
happy to say I’m o.”
POSiTiON Halfback
AGE 26
HEiGHT 1.70m
WEiGHT 82kg
CAPS 38
KEy SKillS
Incredible pass
Aerobic machine
Speed to breakdown
Mesmerising step
Damaging kicking game
AArON
SMiTH
for athletes with different skills. Any side
that lines up with smash and bash as their
only offering can’t surely expect to carry
an element of surprise or out-think a
defence?
They might be able to eventually break
them physically and mentally but the top
international nations would back
themselves to repel any team that tries to
exclusively work them over physically.
The best sides are those that have a vast
array of weaponry with which to work
and this is why the respective offerings
of Aaron, Ben and Conrad Smith are
paramount to the All Blacks’ bid to retain
the World Cup.
T
he Smiths are champions of
the genetic underclass and as a
consequence have had to reach
the highest parts of the game by
offering a range of skills many feared
had died.
Each of them brings a unique mix to the
arena – the binding factor being none of it
is contingent on their ability to physically
dominate any opponent. From an All Blacks perspective the
range of skills at their disposal makes a heady cocktail.
There is all the power and punch any backline will ever need
tied up in the massive frames of Williams, Nonu and of course
Julian Savea. The direction and gameplan implementation can
come from one of four – Dan Carter, Colin Slade, Beauden Barrett
and Aaron Cruden [when he’s not injured]. And then there is the
injection of the Smiths.
Aaron brings the best passing game in world rugby. When the
ball leaves his hands it is a thing of absolute beauty. The spiral is
perfect, the weight always carrying the right sting and so rarely
does he miss the target.
It’s not just the range and accuracy of his passing though that
sets him apart, there’s his unparalleled ability to cover the
ground and be exactly where he needs to be as if he is moving
from ruck to ruck via the Star Trek teleporter.
In any given test, Smith can run 10km and most, nearly all of
that, is at 80 per cent-plus of full capacity. A test for Smith is
perpetual motion – him moving effortlessly from point to point to
sweep the ball off the deck the millisecond it is presented.
That double impact of his speed to the ball then the speed of his
pass has enabled the All Blacks to play a different style of football
since 2012. They play, even one pass out, wider from the tackled
ball and take fewer phases to create the space they need to attack
the outside channels.
The real benefits of Smith’s skill-set is felt later in the contest
