PASS MASTER
Aaron Smith has shown that there is room in the modern game for the smaller, passing halfback. LIAM NAPIER with the story.
Aaron Smith reveals secret of his success
From an early age Aaron Smith’s father stressed he needed a point of difference. The full repertoire would come later. His bullet pass – that always set him apart.
Had New Zealand rugby persisted with favouring big, confrontational halfbacks, Smith may have never got a look in – and the All Blacks may have never developed their now- inherent fast- paced, hightempo game that has blown away so many teams in recent times.
The link- man role is one of the most crucial, and underrated, in the modern game. Halfbacks must now boast the complete package; to snipe around the fringes, kick tactically and consistently to elevate pressure and force contestable possession for chasing wings, organise their forwards, track support lines and be defensively sound. Some nines get by without a standout pass. Not Smith. He has redefined the role.
In his pomp, which has been lost due to injury and form slumps for some time, Will Genia is a master. England’s Danny Care and Ben Youngs have their respective qualities, as does South Africa’s Fourie du Preez, Samoa’s Kahn Fotuali’i and abrasive Welshman Mike Phillips.
But when it comes to sweeping off the deck, Smith has no peer.
“In my mind he’s clearly the best halfback in the world,” Smith’s former mentor Dave Rennie says.
At 1.71m and 85kg after a sizeable meal – he still struggles to maintain weight – Smith is seemingly disadvantaged in a brutal arena where athletes grow physically stronger and larger each year.
Initially some trainers told him to bulk up. Eventually, though, his diminutive frame became his strength. He learned to compensate elsewhere.
“You’re not going to be the biggest player but you must have a point of difference,” Smith’s father once offered. “He always said halfbacks have to be able to pass. That was the thing he really drilled into me. That was the main thing that stuck with me when I was younger and all the times I practised.
“For me it was about using what I had. Being smaller and leaner I could be faster and fitter. I could always back my pass to be the most consistent thing in my game.”
Often the beneficiary of Smith’s ability to create immeasurable time and space for his first five- eighths, Aaron Cruden sums up his immense value.
“He puts it on a platter for the receivers. It’s pretty impressive when you see him get the ball off a lineout and chuck it halfway in the middle of the field,” Cruden says. “He has a clever rugby brain, knows where to be at the right time and the style of game we’re trying to implement we need him to be super fit.
“He gets to the breakdown and before the opposition know it the ball is gone and we’re trying to move the point of attack. He’s got an outstanding pass, but not only that, he’s got the full range of skills for a halfback.”
When Rennie first arrived in Palmerston North and spotted Smith bouncing from ruck to ruck, firing out crisp delivery for Fielding High School, he was immediately impressed.
“You saw a kid with plenty of spunk, plenty of confidence,” Rennie recalls. “As he is now he was prepared to boss the big guys around. You could tell he loved the game and loved being part of a competition.
“He’s a pretty emotional character and you see that in his play. He’s got no fear to go out and express himself. He’s far more knowledgeable and has more leadership but you can still see that same spark. He’s made a lot of shifts from the young guy I saw playing for Feilding High School.”
Rennie’s influence would prove profound. Manawatu were not a big side. They harnessed a ruck- and- run style based on quick collisions which centred on the halfback arriving swiftly at the breakdown to clear. Naturally, that suited Smith and allowed his game to flourish on the national scene.
“He might have queued up behind others at the bigger unions but he got out on a massive stage at a pretty young age.”
Vivid memories remain with Rennie of two 19- year- old kids coming off the bench to spark a stunning revival against
Waikato. In the final 25- minutes Smith and Cruden showcased their unique talents to overturn a 38- 17 deficit. From that point on, their dynamic combination captured wide- spread attention.
“The whole game changed,” Rennie says. “We stormed home with three converted tries. The impact those kids had was massive. They both came on and started bossing around the senior players.”
Smith’s four- year progression to the All Blacks was far from straight forward, though. His dream was to play for the Hurricanes, having represented the region at age- group level, only to find his pathway blocked by Piri Weepu and Alby Mathewson. Oh how the Hurricanes must reflect on yet another home- grown talent they overlooked, with Smith now owning a home in Dunedin.
“Growing up in that region I definitely wanted to be a Hurricane, but I have no negativity towards it,” Smith says. “I was just chasing opportunity. At the time they had really good halfbacks. Maybe the timing wasn’t right. If you ask any young ITM Cup player these days they’ll go anywhere there’s an opportunity. Some people get the dream run of being a hometown kid; the hometown hero. Some of us have to go elsewhere to fulfil our dreams.”
In 2010, two years after making his debut for Manawatu, Smith found himself in no man’s land. He accepted a role with the Blues development and, under Jamie Joseph, caught his big break with selection in the New Zealand Maori side that included Liam Messam, Dane Coles, Hosea Gear and Luke McAlister.
Injury to Chris Smylie opened the door further and Smith played a prominent role in historic wins over Ireland and England in the Centenary Series. It was then clear he would not only compete, but thrive, against international opposition.
That was the turning point; the first time he experienced a full season of professional rugby. His eyes opened to the dedication required to make it at the next level. He set new goals, realising the need to adopt a different approach to training, nutrition and social activities. Developing the vital aerobic capacity to accentuate the speed of his pass enhanced his influence dramatically.
“I was probably a little bit chubby for a guy my size,” Smith says. “It’s not just about how fit you are but how you carry it. Once I leaned up and got a bit fitter that really helped. I could train harder, bounce back from bigger sessions quickly. I enjoyed playing rugby with speed but I wasn’t able to hold it as long as I can now.
“Socially you have to sacrifice a lot of things too. I like to have a good time, but I saw this was a really unique opportunity. When I made Super Rugby it became a full- time gig. Every New Zealand kid dreams of pulling on the black jersey one day. That was a big motivator for me.”
Rennie and Joseph installed the knowledge that by starting at Super Rugby you are one in five.
“That was a stat I had in my head. Anything can happen from there. That’s the attitude I had.”
Smith embarked on his first season of Super Rugby with the Highlanders in 2011. Jimmy Cowan’s presence made him second in line and there was still a perception halfbacks needed to fulfil the role of a fourth loose- forward. Cowan had similar traits to Justin Marshall and Byron Kelleher in this regard.
“I was far from that,” Smith says. “I was 80- odd kgs dripping wet.”
Joseph, like Rennie before him, encouraged Smith to stick to his natural abilities. “At the start I was more of an impact player but I remember Jamie saying I’ll give you a chance and if you deserve it I’ll pick the best halfback. That drove me into the ITM Cup in 2011 where
Manawatu had a really strong year. Aaron Cruden ripped up and our forward pack went well which was really helpful.”
The World Cup success only enhanced Smith’s desire to don the black jersey. How could a tournament which gripped the nation not have such an affect on a player nearing the cusp of national selection?
After making three starts the previous season, Smith pushed past Cowan in the pecking order and into his maiden All Blacks squad, making his debut against Ireland in 2012.
“It was a whirlwind year. Every day at training I was trying to beat Jimmy. It was a competition within a competition.
“I remember the All Blacks training squad being announced. It still buzzes me out to this day to think I could be in this team. It was an amazing feeling.”
Over the last two- and- a- half years Smith has become one of the most important figures in the All Blacks. In 2012 and 2013 he only missed two of the 28 tests. This season, he increasingly played almost every minute of every test.
“He’s a massive part of the All Blacks set- up,” Rennie says. “That’s why you see him play 70 to 80 minutes every week.”
Smith is not lightening quick, but sharp footwork allows him to expose tiring forwards. That vision, around when to run and pass, usually finds holes and avoids being caught isolated. He runs superb support lines – often getting ahead of the play – to receive the final pass in a try- scoring movement.
Defensively he will always be challenged because of his size and like any halfback struggles when his forward pack is dominated. His kicking game is the most notable improvement. Those additional assets now compliment his at- times high pitched organisational bark from behind the ruck. Yet nothing overshadows his pass.
Since bursting past Weepu, Cowan and Andy Ellis, nobody has come close to matching that all- round skill set. Smith is one player the All Blacks would struggle to replace.
“He’s developed into a very special halfback and become a very important part of our team,” All Blacks coach Steve Hansen says. “His style of game suits what we are trying to do. He’s worked really hard at understanding the game and helping to drive that.”
As Rennie alluded to, Smith has an emotional personality which is reflected by his on- field reactions. He is, essentially, passionate about every team he represents and driven by success. Hansen attempts to keep Smith focused on the task at hand. That involves meeting short- term, week to week, goals and standards.
“That seems to be the recipe that works very well. He knows that and understands himself pretty well now.
“He’s a busy wee man and we’ve just got to make sure he doesn’t get too busy, otherwise he becomes like a washing machine where he’s all over the place. When he’s calm, controlled and clear he’s one of, if not the, best halfbacks in the world.
“He’s grown up a lot. He’s a lot more mature. There’s been a few things off the field where he probably let himself down and if he had his time again he’d change. Those things have moulded and helped him grow as well. In a funny way he’s probably better for those experiences. It’s nice to see him grow into the player he has.”
This year TJ Perenara leapfrogged Tawera Kerr- Barlow as Smith’s deputy but such is the incumbent’s importance to the All Blacks’ attacking guile, neither of his challenges have seen much game- time.
“He wouldn’t see himself as not being pushed,” Hansen says. “He pushes himself; we push him as coaches and the other two young guys are pushing him all the time, but he’s playing very well. It is hard not to keep him out there. There will come a time when we are going to have to start giving the other guys a bit more rugby.”
Perenara and Kerr- Barlow may be given opportunities against the United States and Scotland but with Smith only turning 26 in November it seems his presence, much like his unrivalled point of difference, will remain constant for many years to come.