Smith inspired by ‘great mate’

Wayne Smith’s successful rugby coaching journey wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the impact of the late Laurie O’reilly.

Tomorrow’s test against Australia in Christchurch will be extra meaningful for Black Ferns coach Smith.

The trans-tasman rivals square off for the Laurie O’reilly Cup – named after the late Canterburybased rugby coach and lawyer, who was a pioneer for the women’s game in New Zealand. O’reilly died from cancer in 1998.

‘‘For me this game is really important. It’s an emotional thing for me because he was my great mate,’’ Smith said.

‘‘I probably wouldn’t be coaching without him taking me under his wing.’’

O’reilly was a trailblazer for women’s rugby, coaching the Crusadettes, the University of Canterbury women’s team, who toured the United States and Europe in 1988.

A year later, he selected the first squad to represent New Zealand in a women’s match and was their first coach.

‘‘To me, he created women’s rugby in New Zealand. I know a lot of other people who have been hugely influential, he started it. He took the Crusadettes team to America and the UK. I think they played every third day, they slept

on a pub floor in Wales, they slept on buses. He was just an adventurer.

‘‘A lot of those women you think of, Natasha Wong [the first woman to be elected to Canterbury

Rugby’s board in 135 years], an important woman in men’s rugby at the moment, Jacqui Apiata, Black Fern No 1, those people they got where they did because of his help, I’m certain.’’

Smith first met O’reilly at a Canterbury pre-season club game in the late 1970s when his Belfast side played against University, where O’reilly was player-coach.

After the game, O’reilly introduced himself to Smith, ‘‘a 21-yearold nobody, who hadn’t even played for Waikato’’.

In 1980, he received a call from O’reilly who was running a coaching course at Lincoln University, inviting Smith to come and help out, which was his first taste of coach education.

The two men formed a powerful connection, which lasted the rest of their lives.

Years later, Smith was coaching the Town team in Canterbury against Country and got O’reilly on board as his assistant.

‘‘That’s a big game. In those days that was as big as Canterbury. It was so fun.’’

Smith coached Italian club side Benetton Treviso in the early 1990s and recalled calling O’reilly about some technical issues he was having with the team.

O’reilly travelled from Spain to meet Smith in Venice unannounced and provide mentorship.

‘‘He flew and came and helped me for a week. I hadn’t asked him to. He just decided to come and help me and that was what he was like.’’