Lessons in a tough year
you the best advice. As far as your rugby goes I have probably learned over my career that you have got to always evolve, and try and keep finding ways of getting better.
‘‘If you don’t do that you probably miss opportunities. It’s an awesome ride this rugby ride I have probably been on.’’
If it hadn’t been for the 19-7 loss to England last weekend, Smith’s final game in black would probably have been against Namibia in Tokyo. It’s not the final hurrah everyone wanted, but at least Smith can experience one more test.
This week several All Blacks have said how much they appreciated having their families around them after the defeat to England.
‘‘One hundred per cent. Family is everything,’’ Smith said. ‘‘And I am lucky enough to have my family over here at the moment. My two young kids will come along on Friday night.
‘‘And, yeah, it’s important for me to get out there. This will be the last time they will see me in a black jersey, so it’s pretty important for me to do that right.’’
Smith should be remembered as an All Blacks great.
As he noted he didn’t make the fastest starts to his career. After his debut against Italy in Milan in
2009 he made only one additional appearance in the next two seasons and wasn’t picked in the
2011 World Cup squad that won the tournament in New Zealand.
When Hansen replaced Graham Henry in 2012, Smith’s All Blacks career went into overdrive and he became an integral part of the all-conquering beast that defended the Webb Ellis Cup in Britain in 2015.
The honour of captaining the All Blacks against Samoa in 2017 reinforced how much Hansen valued Smith, who indicated that when he joined the squad in 2009 he was over-awed to be in the company of men such as Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Keven Mealamu and Conrad Smith.
‘‘[Players] that you have watched from afar, that you have watched on telly. You have idolised them and then all of a sudden you are amongst them.
‘‘It’s an interesting environment to walk into and it probably takes a wee while to feel comfortable. The quicker that you can get in here and contribute, the better.’’
As Smith, who also won a Commonwealth Games gold medal with the NZ Sevens team in 2010, reflects on what he has achieved he hopes it inspires young rugby players in New Zealand.
Although he wasn’t tagged as a superstar as a kid growing up in Dunedin, Smith persevered and, eventually, flourished.
‘‘I am just a battler from Green Island. Hopefully, other kids look at that, that I didn’t make many age-group teams and that there was an opportunity there.
‘‘I think that’s the awesome thing about New Zealand, that if you stick at something. And hopefully that’s something I can show my kids is that if you stick at something anything is possible and you just roll with it and you work hard and you never know what happens.’’
He hoped to be remembered as an All Black who was a good team man: ‘‘Someone that . . . was always doing the right thing and hopefully someone who could be trusted.’’
No-one could say Smith wasn’t humble. He adds that he is ‘‘definitely proud’’ of what he has achieved.
‘‘I remember playing my first test, and she was a bit of a long journey before I played my second. But to probably manage to play 80-odd tests that’s something I’ll always be proud of and to be part of a club that has the legacy it has, and the people that have worn that jersey.
‘‘For me to be a part of that, that’s something that I will always be proud of.’’