Smith may be kicking himself
Aaron Smith was like a dog chasing a fly in Christchurch last weekend.
As a consequence several of the Highlanders halfback’s decisions were questionable during the 33-13 loss to the Crusaders, and with the benefit of hindsight he probably wished he didn’t make a couple of those silly kicks.
But it’s difficult not to sympathise. The 92-test All Black must be frustrated because he, like all professional athletes, is hard-wired to be a winner; and that resulted in him attempting to rip multiple rabbits out of his top hat rather than be patient and trust his teammates at Orangetheory Stadium.
Be sure of one thing: Smith is a rare gem. No halfback has played more tests for New Zealand and barring injury or a shocking form slump, new All Blacks coach Ian Foster will give him the chance to add to his mountain of caps for the domestic series against Wales and Scotland in July.
That’s the future, though. Right now, Smith has to help the Highlanders secure a win against the unfancied Rebels in Dunedin tonight.
1. What can a wise old head like Smith do to help the Highlanders?
Not put his forwards in the situation where they pluck their heads out of a ruck and see the No 9 make a poor decision, for starters. No, no, no.
Watching Smith yell and cajole his forwards can be splendid fun; like a shepherd who knows when a cunning old ewe is trying to take him on, he isn’t shy to yell orders, grab an exhausted front rower or tell the ref he would have been better leaving both glass eyes in the bath tub.
But the men in front of him are no fools. They will want to see reward for that toil.
Which, in turn, lumps the responsibility on Smith and his playmakers Mitch Hunt and Josh Ioane to get things right. It needs to happen against the Rebels.
2. Talking of halfbacks, how’s Foster going to handle this?
People from outside New Zealand must think we only need to scatter a handful of fertiliser on a scrummachine, followed by a quick prayer, to make another talented No 9 jump out into the production line.
Smith is joined by fellow All Black reps TJ Perenara, Brad Weber, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi and Mitchell Drummond in Super Rugby.
Will Tahuriorangi rise again? He got his chance under Hansen, but blew it when he returned to the Chiefs from his 2018-19 summer break in a poor state.
That question won’t be answered this weekend, with the Chiefs having the bye.
But Foster has to consider when’s the best time to build for the future. Smith is 31 years of age, Weber is 29, Perenara is 28 and Tahuriorangi is 24.
3. The Blues’ marketing department should shout themselves a kebab on K Road.
The rumours about when Beauden Barrett will make his first appearance for his new club, sometime in mid-april or possibly earlier, are clickbait gold.
Will he make an early arrival? Won’t he? Meanwhile, his social media account tells us plenty. How fat was that fish he caught? How far can he drive a golf ball? How neat was it to see him enjoy the Super Bowl?
The big winners? Brand Beaudie and the Blues’ commercial team. Ticket sales, surely, should surge when he finally arrives.
For now, his coach Leon Macdonald can only concentrate on code. And the unbeaten Stormers in Cape Town are lying in wait.
4. Now the bad news for the Blues.
Those sharp-eyed types at Opta tell us the Stormers have recorded four consecutive wins against the Blues at home.
An additional worry for the visitors is they have converted just 50 per cent of their goal kicks this year. On the plus side No 8 Hoskins Sotutu has made 45 carries, with just three players doing more this season.
5. Coronavirus won’t prevent the Sunwolvesmeeting the Hurricanes in Wellington tomorrow night.
However, with their next game against the Brumbies in Osaka on March 8 canned because of the virus, Sanzaar has to provide solutions.
It could try to organise a game at a neutral venue outside Japan, and asking the Sunwolves to stop over in Canberra may be a goer.
Or Sanzaar could cancel the fixture and ask the teams to accept two competition points each.
The Crusaders, slated to play in Tokyo in the following round, may also have to bank two points if their game is scrapped.
Now is the time for Sanzaar to show leadership.