Predictable: Smith slates the NZ style of play
Former All Blacks coach Wayne Smith wants to see rugby in New Zealand move away from its predictable nature.
The double World Cup-winning assistant spent 17 years coaching in New Zealand at an international level and in Super Rugby.
Smith has been part of Kobe Steelers in the Japanese Top League as director of rugby since 2018, and briefly served as a special counsel in the Italian rugby set-up.
Well-versed in the global game, Smith returned from Japan five weeks ago and has been taking in how Super Rugby Aotearoa is played. He told Sky Television’s The Breakdown programme the way the ball is used off rucks lacks effectiveness.
“Everyone’s playing pods — they will have three forwards off the nine, for example. But we seem to have become almost robotic, going through the phases,” he said.
“How many phases does it take to score a try? I’m picking it’s probably three or four phases, probably 75 per cent of your tries come from those three or four phases.
“I’d like to see a bit more efficiency and effectiveness off those plays.
“You get three guys coming forward off nine, for example, you hit the middle guy, the two guys on the outside are there to clean, no one’s coming forward outside them for the offload and it becomes a bit predictable. I’d like to see an option or two outside that third guy.”
They are sitting last on the Super Rugby Aotearoa ladder but Smith likes what he’s seen from the Highlanders under Tony Brown in 2021. “They know how to keep the ball alive. Parts of the game aren’t working for them, but they’re beautiful to watch at times with their support play. Their players arrive thinking they’re going to get an offload before they clean ... I really enjoy that about them.”
The 63-year-old left his post working under former All Blacks coach Sir Steve Hansen at the end of the 2017 Rugby Championship.
The side have since struggled to sustain consistent results, including back-to-back winless home matchups with the Springboks and a recordsetting loss to the Wallabies before crashing out in the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup.
Smith says after relocating to Japan, he was given “free rein” to implement a style he’s always wanted to coach.
“The game’s different over there, if you watch Kobe play and see Brodie Retallick — he’s down to 117kg because he’s got to be able to keep up with the game. He’s magnificent, he’s absolutely magnificent,” Smith says.
“It’s a faster game . . . we have a real attacking style. We put a lot of work into our support play.”