Analysis: Aaron Smith is undoubtedly the All Blacks' best halfback option
All Black halfback Aaron Smith seems to be warming up the right time.
His season so far has been disrupted by All Black-resting protocols, but his performance against the Chiefs was critical to powering the Highlanders’ attack, and was a timely reminder of how important he will be to the All Blacks at the World Cup.
Smith will throw his body at anything in defence despite often coming away second best. However, this doesn’t matter – he isn’t in the side to make tackles, he is there to do his core job and do it extremely well, and it’s this clinical execution of passing that keeps him at the top of the halfback pecking order.
There is just no halfback in New Zealand that can play at the tempo he brings with the level of pinpoint accuracy he executes with. He can pass fluently off the deck or even with smart footwork around the base. The closest No. 9 to Smith’s ability is Bryn Hall, who reached a level last year that deserved national honours and perhaps the back-up job.
Every pass is where it needs to be, and this accuracy starts the Highlanders’ flow by putting everything in motion.
Smith starts Liam Coltman’s run for him by leading him onto the ball, which gives Tom Franklin (5) the cue he needs to time his run on the outside.
Coltman shows soft hands and deals with the oncoming pressure by providing a well-timed tip ball to Franklin running at pace.
Franklin’s carry is now going to be far more effective, hitting the ball on time with no aligned defender, and the Highlanders will make the gain line as they begin to create a faster tempo with a quick recycle.
It all starts with Smith’s accuracy being on time and in the perfect spot to bring his runner forward, which he does at a rate close to 99 percent of the time.
When you add in Smith’s speed of recycling, it creates massive instability for defensive lines under pressure to make decisions quickly.
The first Highlanders try of the night came off the back of a two-phase lineout play going the same way.
They use a maul to congregate numbers before No. 8 Elliot Dixon carries on a slingshot line coming around the corner. His strong carry gives the Highlanders the momentum they need and possession towards the middle of the field.
We can see only Luke Whitelock (6) has been able to turn the corner for the Highlanders and position himself for a carry. While Luke Jacobson (6) and Tyler Ardron (8) have been able to fold for the Chiefs, soon they will be taken out of the equation.
On second phase, the Chiefs are still under pressure to fold numbers. Because Smith is able to recycle so fast, the Chiefs players stop fanning out and begin to press forward in attempt to bring line speed, without aligning properly.
Many other halfbacks wait for more forwards to come around the corner if the original play calls for it. Instead, Smith wants to speed up the game and catch the Chiefs short while they are bunched tight around the ruck.
This is the difference between the halfbacks that run the game as opposed to those just playing the game.
Rob Thompson offers a flat unders line option, which Chiefs centre Tumua Manu is sold on, biting down and leaving his side more stretched to the outside. Smith decides heading out deeper and wider to Josh Ioane is the more attractive option.
Smith’s deep pass is on the money hitting Josh Ioane (10) in stride on the chest, succeeding in putting him on the outside of Manu (13) by a good metre. All of the Chiefs interior defence are now taken out of the play and won’t be able to slide in time with such a short distance to the line.
Ioane has all the time and the space in the world to press the issue towards Etene Nanai-Seturo (11). Nanai-Seturo has to trust Manu can make up the lost ground, or risk bailing on his own assignment of Ben Smith.
Ioane fakes the pass, Nanai-Seturo doesn’t buy the dummy and commits to the tackle but Ioane is too close to the line, breaking through to score. If he was tackled he would have missed an opportunity to play Ben Smith untouched for a try, but is luckily able to finish himself through contact.
The Chiefs were picked apart in two phases due to the speed at which Smith can recycle and then move the ball, and it was Manu’s decision to jam in under duress which ends up costing the Chiefs seven points.
The Highlanders like to get Smith involved as more of a first receiver as a change-up, in motion where his lethal pass can used in a playmaking capacity. This is frequent on first phase set-piece plays but also during phase play.
After nine phases, the Highlanders have burrowed down deep into Chiefs territory camped on the goal line. The home side has begun to pick and go using the forwards, with Smith dropping back with the illusion that he is just marshalling troops.
Dixon (8) plays Jackson Hemepo (4) short and the Chiefs try to get an early chop tackle in as the ball goes out the back to Smith.
In a position more akin to a first five, Smith has the opportunity to free the numbers outside. With James Lentjies (7) the open man on the edge, Smith fires a laser out wide to the open man. Even with the ball sailing in the air, he has enough time to break through the side tackle of Shaun Stevenson (22).
Many teams in this situation continue to play narrow despite it being very difficult to cover numbers out wide once the defence is contracted. Great halfbacks know when to attack this wide and take the ball off the forwards.
When setting this play up, Smith motions to Dixon getting off the ground from the last phase and moves the forwards into position, keeping the tempo slow and disguising a potential wide movement.
Ioane at the bottom of the screen is ready for flat ball but once Smith changes the call, you see him adjust and slide back further in anticipation of becoming an option for his halfback.
The play is called and the forwards trust Smith it is the right time to strike, and the Highlanders extend the lead to 28-12.
Smith’s three try assists lead to 21 of the team’s 31 points, with only Ben Smith scoring a try without his involvement.
Although the Chiefs are having their worst defensive season ever, his influential performance indicates he could be getting back to his best form, which is timely from an All Blacks perspective.
The Highlanders season hasn’t been without bumps, but with both Smith’s, they are still in playoff contention, and will likely feature if they can keep both All Blacks on the field.
Highlanders’ fullback Ben Smith:
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments