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// NZ RUGBY WORLD // JUNE/JULY 2015
sports scIence hAs infiltrated the
modern game to a near unbelievable state.
The players are poked and prodded with
needles stuck in here and there to extract this
and that for testing.
The data, once it is analysed, gives an
element of consistent reading – that centre is
one of the toughest positions to play in terms of
impact on the body. Anyone who wears a No 13
jersey in a test has to be prepared to be bashed
to bits – the collisions are many and heavy and
the aerobic component is significant. It’s no
wonder that most teams are on the hunt for big
men to play at centre.
There’s a feeling in test football that there’s
no point in looking at any centre who doesn’t
have 100kg packed onto a 1.88m-plus frame.
The position is too physical for anyone smaller
as the job, reckon most international coaches,
is smash, bang, wallop.
Conrad Smith is a little dierent. He’s a lot
dierent, really. He has survived 11 years in the
All Blacks and never once has he been
described as a smash, bang, wallop sort of
player. Not even close.
Nothing, in fact, could be further from
getting to the essence of Smith. His skills are a
throwback to a forgotten age of elegant, skinny
backs gliding and dancing as they searched for
space.
Every other nation bar Ireland when they had
Brian O’Driscoll used their centre as a battering
ram – as a finisher. Not New Zealand with
Smith. They have in him a cunning and skilled
distributor; a man who creates holes and space
for others. Julian Savea is a phenomenon on
the left wing but he’d be the first to say that a
part of that – a biggish part of that – is down
to the quality of possession he receives from
Smith.
Some might argue that Smith is creator and
distributor through a lack of choice – that he
can’t be finisher as he doesn’t have the size or
top end pace. Yet that argument doesn’t come
close to stacking up as Smith has scored 25
test tries.
His portfolio of timing and reading the play;
of being one step ahead and remarkably
courageous and strong on defence has meant
he has to be considered as one of the greatest
All Black centres in history.
This will be Smith’s last season in an All
Black jersey. He will join Pau after the World
Cup and while the All Blacks will have the
option of an all power-pairing in their midfield
of Sonny Bill Williams and Malakai Fekitoa or
Williams and Nonu – they won’t give either
option much serious thought.
The All Blacks know the value of Smith. They
know his calm head, his leadership, his passing,
tackling and defensive organisation are all
invaluable. They know the All Blacks are a
better side with this old school champion in
the midfield.
POSiTiON Centre
AGE 33
HEiGHT 1.87m
WEiGHT 95kg
CAPS 85
KEy SKillS
Clever distributor
Defensive organiser
Telepathic anticipation
Bold leader
Tiny error rate
CONrAD
SMiTH
chased down the escaping Tuilagi,
tackled him superbly, jumped to his feet
and counter-rucked over the ball to win
it back.
As brilliant as that was, Hansen
reckoned the real value of Smith was seen
a few weeks later in Wellington when he
had to play the second half at second-five
in place of the injured Nonu.
“For a long time we’ve known he’s a
really good rugby player in any position.
We know he plays first-five for his club at
times, not that he has played for his club
much over the last few years. When we
play a bit of touch footy he’s comfortable
with the ball in his hand and he’s
comfortable taking and giving a pass
under pressure.
“We knew he had a kicking game. It was
really all about him them trusting his own
instincts and the good player’s instincts
are good. He’s a good player, world class.”
W
hat the Smiths give the All
Blacks is unpredictability.
That’s the key to it all – these
three make the All Blacks
almost impossible to accurately read.
And that’s what All Blacks backs coach
Ian Foster loves about the collective power
of the Smiths – he relishes having players
who come to the international game with
Rather than look at it from a brain versus brawn point of view I think at our
level all the players are smart. I guess it is a real high self-awareness of what
they are good at.’ IAn foster
a fascinating set of skills.
Foster would be envied by coaches the
world over. Is there any other backline on
the planet that offers such diversity? Is
there any other backline that has such
skilled footballers in such volumes? Is
there any other country that has so many
little big men capable of punching so
effectively above their weight?
The answer is no. And no and no. The
Smiths are a group to be cherished and
celebrated. “I think when you look at those
sorts of players – first of all you have got
great athletes,” says Foster.
“Aaron Smith is not the biggest man in
stature but he’s certainly a powerful
individual and he’s prepared to play test
level physically. We mustn’t forget that
small people can be really strong so these
guys are all really physically prepared.
“What we all get excited about by these
sorts of players is that we see players who
use skill. They have got a high degree of
skill and a high degree of competitiveness
that is a different strength to the big
physical sort of players. It’s a different sort
of strength and that is what I love about
Aaron for example.
“When we first brought him in – from
an All Black team perspective we had to
ask, ‘can we play the Springboks and have
Aaron Smith and Aaron Cruden in that
[ the smiths ]
