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'I'd love nothing more': Aaron Smith's plan to 'ruin a few people's dream of a Blues-Crusaders final'

By Alex McLeod
(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Highlanders co-captain Aaron Smith isn’t listening to the external noise surrounding his team’s chances of making the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final.

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In fact, the veteran halfback is relishing the fact that most onlookers seemingly rank the Highlanders as outsiders to make next weekend’s grand finale, a match of which the Blues and Crusaders are favourites to meet each other in.

In order to make their first final in six years, the Highlanders must overcome a staunch Brumbies outfit in front of their home fans in Canberra on Friday.

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As a team the thrives on their fast, dry track under the roof of Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, the southerners will be tasked with combating an abrasive Brumbies side in cold, wet conditions at GIO Stadium in two days’ time.

The weather forecast won’t work in the Highlanders’ favour, but that doesn’t bother Smith, who has been re-called into the starting lineup after he was rested from last week’s 59-23 thumping of the Waratahs.

That win propelled Clarke Dermody’s men into second place on the competition table, and it’s now a three-horse race between them, the Blues and the Crusaders to make the title-deciding match.

Victory in the Australian capital won’t guarantee the Highlanders of a place in that final, but it will ensure they remain a strong chance to compete for their first championship since 2015, something few back them to actually pull off.

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“We know it’s going to look totally different playing in Canberra,” Smith said of this week’s upcoming encounter in comparison to his side’s demolition of the winless Waratahs in Dunedin last Saturday.

“The media and the people and fans are all probably talking about wanting to see a Blues-Crusaders final, but I’m sure the Rebels aren’t looking to roll over and I’m sure the Force aren’t looking to roll over on the Blues either.

“As I said, all we can control is how we play if we land with a bonus point, but, for me, I’d just like to get a win in Canberra. It’s very hard to play there. We just want to control the fate of what we can control and that’s how we play, how we prepare.

“If we ruin a few people’s perfect dream of a Blues-Crusaders final, I’d love nothing more than to do that.”

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According to Smith, just how the Highlanders can turn the so-called dreams of the Blues’ or Crusaders’ faithful into a nightmare all comes down to their defensive fortitude against the Brumbies.

The 32-year-old said that, after an inconsistent Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign, defensive improvement has been a focal point in training for the Highlanders after some shoddy displays in the all-Kiwi league.

Smith pointed to his side’s lacklustre 39-17 defeat at the hands of the Blues in March as an example of what can happen if their defence falters.

“Any game in the Aotearoa comp where we tackled well we usually won, and then games where our tackle percentage was low, or we gave away too many penalties, we lost and probably lost ugly too,” Smith said.

“Games like the Blues game where we didn’t play very well up there and tackled very poorly at about 81 percent, so, for us, it’s about that, but myself, Ash [Dixon] and Hunty [Mitch Hunt] will be very conscious of trying to feel the flow of the game.”

Smith is aware of his side’s attacking prowess, though, and that’s something of which they will look to utilise where possible, especially at the set piece.

“If there’s any opportunities to get some extra tries, if we can mount good moments, [we’ll take them], but as I said, those conversations between me, Mitch and Ash will be had, but our messaging towards the team will just be staying moment to moment.

“As I said, back our defence, try to win that territory battle, and if we’re trying to get some lineouts in our 22, as us Highlanders, we pride ourselves on set piece moves.

“We know we’ve got tries in us, but we’ve got to be able to be good on defence and not let the Brumbies in as well.”

The added complexity of bonus points makes the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final permutations tricky to decipher, and with New Zealand sides dominating against their Australian counterparts, those extra points will become vital by the end of the weekend.

However, Smith is refusing to get carried away with how many more tries the Highlanders can score than the Brumbies until they’re in a position during the match where they can afford to focus on such permutations.

“It’s about making sure we stay on. Yes, we’ve won our games comfortably at times, but that’s about us and it’ll be easier to drive that message if we get to that point in the game where we’ve got a good buffer,” he said.

“Personally, I think we’re at that spot now where we’ve got to throw a little bit of caution into the wind to try and create the most controlled, positive action around trying to go for tries.

“No one’s kicking goals at the moment, so it’s not like we’re not going for it, but, around the moves and around the game being won, it’s going to be won with our defence and our discipline.

“The Brumbies build everything through scrum, penalties, maul penalties, kick to the corner, go again, and they’re very good at it. Everything they get is from what we give them, so hopefully it’s bugger all.”

Equipped with a strong forward pack that thrives on set piece work, Smith understands the threats that the Brumbies pose, which they used to devastating effect as they shocked the Hurricanes to win 12-10 in Canberra last weekend.

“We watched that Hurricanes game very closely and the bigger their player, their physicality, their ability to slow down your attack, it’s pretty impressive, so we’ve got a big job there.

“Our forwards have got a massive, massive day at the office coming up, so it’s up to us 9s and 10s to put our boys in the best spots.”

With all that – the weather conditions that work in the forward-orientated Brumbies’ favour, their defensive mindset and the ongoing bonus points conundrum – in mind, it’s easy to see why the Highlanders are being considered outsiders to make the final.

But, as is always the case with the Dunedin-based franchise, their underdog status won’t stop them from throwing the kitchen sink to book their place in the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman final.

“We hold all the cards,” Smith said. “We’ve got a real good chance here. We’ve put four good performances together to give ourselves a chance at making a final, and I’m just really happy we’ve got a chance and I hope we can live up to the moment.”

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J
Jon 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 7 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

30 Go to comments
A
Adrian 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

30 Go to comments
T
Trevor 11 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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