Smith’s high class evident
The All Blacks may not see Ben Smith as their fullback but the Highlanders can’t live without him there. Despite the pre-season chat about the All Blacks being on restricted minutes in the early rounds of Super Rugby the Highlanders No 15 played another full 80 on Friday – his second in a row.
It would take a fool not to understand why. Twice the Highlanders have needed their calmest back on the field to close out games and twice Smith has delivered. They could be 0-2 were it not for their co-captain.
It is inconceivable then, that the ‘Smith to fullback for the All Blacks’ storyline won’t be a dominant one throughout the Super Rugby season.
That narrative will also be strengthened by the fact that Damian McKenzie looks set to play the season at No 10 for the Chiefs.
In other words, on their current course, the All Blacks will go into the Rugby World Cup with a fullback who has played No 10 for the best part of two years, while the player whom many think is the best fullback in the world is on the wing.
Of course, it is a condition of living in Dunedin that you must demand that Smith plays No 15 for the All Blacks. Dunedin City Council does not issue permits to new entrants to the city unless they have signed a clause stating it must be so.
Nonetheless, there is a reason to believe the argument does not need parochialism to sustain itself.
The two key factors are the way the game is being played and, naturally, Smith’s form itself.
Watching Smith live against the Reds at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Friday was much more illustrative than on the box.
Smith’s movement in the backfield – something you can’t see in the coverage – is superb.
It was so good it appeared the Reds were kicking poorly to him.
Why would they employ such a strategy? You can be assured that they did not, but Smith’s ability to read kicks has made mugs of plenty of opposition No 10s and No 15s.
Then, there is the size factor.
Smith does not win every aerial contest – he lost one to Reds wing Chris Feauai-Sautia on Friday night – but he is simply a bigger man than McKenzie and this added strength allows him to buy a crucial commodity when returning the ball – time.
It may be only a second or two, but Smith’s strength post contact is such a vital part of the fullback’s toolbox.
Mils Muliaina was the master at it, and Smith is too.
Look at the Smith counterattack that led to the Highlanders’ winning try in the 74th minute. Smith did not immediately break the line but he was positive enough post-contact to make sure the ball was recycled quickly and then featured twice more in the same movement before Dillon Hunt dived over on the left-hand side.
That sort of play is particularly valuable when you see what England No 10 Owen Farrell has been doing to inexperienced fullbacks wearing the No 15 jersey up in the Six Nations: pulling them all over the place with his strong kicking game.
As Steve Hansen has said in the past: You take your cues from the opposition.
McKenzie’s a special talent: no-one would deny that. He deserved his chance at No 15 at the end of last year when Jordie Barrett lost a bit of form (and the Hurricanes fullback still looked vulnerable to a charge down against the Waratahs last weekend).
In a model where two No 10s are preferred McKenzie is clearly an attractive option there.
But if Smith continues to play like he did on Friday night he’ll put some pressure on that model itself.