DON’T BURN US OUT
Exclusive: Ben Smith warns that extra Super Rugby derbies will take their toll next year -
In the words of a great Kiwi taken too soon, we don’t know how lucky we are. If not for the special pull of a golden Central Otago summer, the national rugby treasure we know as Ben Smith might well have decamped to the south-west of France, in the shadow of the Pyrenees Mountains.
Smith, the Highlanders and All Black fullback, had a big decision to make over the recent off-season as he weighed his contractual options. Of course he had a tasty offer from New Zealand Rugby, carefully structured to fit the requirements of a man now rated the finest No 15 in the sport. At 30, at the peak of his powers, with 60 tests tucked under his belt, the thought dawned that this could be the most important decision of his rugby life.
On the other side of the ledger sat a delicious deal from the Pau club in France that offered, not just vaster riches, but also some tempting lifestyle options. Smith was genuinely torn on the delicate matter of just where he would play his rugby (from 2018 on).
Of course, we know he chose New Zealand. He chose loyalty. He chose family. He chose to continue the quest to become a truly great All Black that national coach Steve Hansen is adamant holds a value far beyond the swagbags of cash rich northern clubs use to tempt accomplished Kiwis away from their homeland.
He chose a deal that will take him through to 2020, with the possibility of rethinking things after the 2019 World Cup. Now, with the benefit of perspective, he’s sure he also chose wisely.
Smith is enjoying a few welcome days’ respite from the rigours of Super Rugby at his holiday home in Wanaka, Central Otago (the Highlanders are on bye week). The Star-Times catches him tending to newborn Walter and 2-year-old Anabelle, with wife Katie close by. This is Smith’s world away from rugby, and one that drives the decisions he’s made to stick around and continue with the special things he’s doing with the Highlanders and All Blacks.
‘‘It’s awesome,’’ he beams of his new outlook as a husband and father. ‘‘It gives you a bit of balance and probably puts rugby in perspective a wee bit. If you’ve had a tough day or a game hasn’t gone well, it’s easy to park that and get home and spend time with the family, and move on.’’
During a long chat, Smith covers a raft of territory, from his decision to stay, the special culture that fuels the Highlanders, to head knocks, and the looming visit from the British and Irish Lions. It’s a treat to hear from a man not always comfortable opening up on himself. So, how tough was that decision to stay?
‘‘It was probably weighing up what point in my rugby I was at and if I still had more to give in New Zealand,’’ Smith said. ‘‘I thought I still had more ahead of me, and could continue to play some good rugby.’’ But then comes the admission. ‘‘France was pretty tempting. The fact we could probably have had a lot more family time over there, with less travel, were things I had to think about. Somewhere like Pau, I’ve got some good mates over there and they’ve got a lot of Kiwis. I put a lot of thought into, and giving something else a crack as far as a new culture and new way of doing things was pretty tempting.’’ Thankfully, there was a ‘‘but’’. ‘‘I had a gut feeling I wanted to stay, and that was Katie’s gut feeling, too. I think sitting in Wanaka over Christmas and New Year, once rugby had finished and we were able to have a bit of down time, that probably sunk in at that time. We’ve got awesome support from both our families in Dunedin and that also helped. They wanted to see their grandchildren, and we didn’t want to be over on the other side of the world making that so much harder.’’
So, does Smith have any advice for the young Kiwi rugby players wrestling with similar decisions?
‘‘My only advice would be that person has to do what’s right for them, and weigh up all the options. It’s not always just about money; it’s about what they want to achieve and where they want to achieve it. For some guys it’s about experiencing something new. I think it’s awesome what Aaron Cruden is doing. You’ve got to support guys who choose that option.’’
You wonder, too, about the All Blacks. Smith has won a World Cup, and is now Kieran Read’s designated No 2 in the national setup. But his true legacy is still being writ.
‘‘The Lions is pretty exciting this year, and hopefully I can continue to be involved with another World Cup,’’ he said. ‘‘That’s something that feels unfinished. I really enjoy the teams I play for and getting out and trying to contribute. That’s pretty massive and something I didn’t want to give up.’’
But Smith is not a man who ever takes his status for granted. He is beloved by his team-mates for the most humble of personalities, and throughout his inexorable rise to become the most complete fullback in the game, that has stayed a constant.
So when you ask him about competition from the likes of Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett, Nehe Milner-Skudder (when fit) and even an adaptable type like Blues wing Matt Duffie, the response is pure Smith.
‘‘You didn’t even mention Izzy Dagg. He’s there as well. That’s the great thing about New Zealand: there’s a lot of talent. I know how cut-throat rugby is, and if someone’s not performing they don’t get the opportunity. That’s the way it should be, and what makes the All Blacks so good. Guys like Jordie and Damian are playing some great rugby. I love to turn the TV on and see them performing.’’
Smith is hugely proud of what he’s been a big part of building at the Highlanders. He thinks back to 2013, with eight straight defeats to open the season, as a low point, We’ve got awesome support from both our families in Dunedin and that also helped. Ben Smith and a turning point. From there a seismic shift took place and within a season the southerners were contending in the playoffs, and in another year lifting their first championship.
‘‘We’re different to a lot of teams. There’s only myself and Matt Faddes, maybe one or two others, from Dunedin. Everyone else is from all round New Zealand, and comes down to Dunedin and just buys into what we’re doing. That makes it pretty special. We do a lot things off the field that probably help us on it, and we know the main point of difference for our team is our culture.
‘‘That’s really well driven by the coaches, and as players it’s hard not to enjoy it and want to be involved in that kind of team environment. It’s something [former coach] Jamie [Joseph] and Tony [Brown] have grown up with in Dunedin, and they have passed that on to us, to make sure we live those same values they did.’’
Smith by now is rolling. He talks about the Highlanders’ tough start to this season, through those four straight Kiwi derbies, and the battling victories in recent weeks that have brought them back into the race. ‘‘Though we didn’t get the wins we were after, they probably set us up because we took a lot of learnings out of that.’’
On the head knock that removed him from a couple of weeks’ action: ‘‘I had a few headaches, a few other symptoms, and it took me a good week or two to get over that. I wasn’t rushing back at that point. I was more worried about my health, and the fact there are probably more important things in life than rugby.’’
And, of course, the looming Lions challenge: ‘‘I was in England [on a gap year] the last time the Lions played in New Zealand, so I know how big it is over there, too. It’s going be a massive challenge, but I just want to play as well as I can for the Highlanders, otherwise I’ll be watching it on TV again.’’
There’s no chance of that, injury permitting. One of the reasons Smith stayed in New Zealand is to be part of seismic contests like this. They help make those golden summers when it all winds down that much more satisfying.