SMITH TO RETIRE

LONG-SERVING ALL

BLACKS coach Wayne Smith has announced he will retire from his post as defence coach after the Rugby Championship this year.

Smith will bring to an end a near 20-year association with the national team, which began with the head coaching job in 2000. He held that post until late 2001 when he unexpectedly decided to stand down, fearing he was no longer the right man for the role.

That saw him head to Northampton between 2002 and 2004 before he was recalled to New Zealand by Graham Henry who wanted Smith as one of his assistants. Smith held that role until 2011, then joined the Chiefs as a technical adviser between 2012 and 2014, and then re-joined the All Blacks as defence coach in 2015.

“There are a lot of things I want to do. I want to reconnect with some people,” Smith said. “I’ve got a grandson and I want to spend time with the family. We’ll do a wee bit of travel and I’ll probably do a couple of projects ... but essentially it will be time to refresh.

“I’ve got no interest helping other teams try to beat the All Blacks. I will do some stu in rugby but it won’t be with tierone teams competing against the All Blacks.

“It’s fair to say I’m retiring from the All Blacks after a third of my life spent in black. It’s been a huge privilege, I’ve taken it seriously and it’s been a massive passion of mine. At some stage you’ve got to finish, and this is my time.”