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'I'm willing to pay for my body': Aaron Smith's secret to longevity
All Blacks talisman Aaron Smith will play his 100th test on Saturday night when he runs out onto Eden Park to face up with the Wallabies and the 32-year-old has shed some light on how he’s able to maintain his impeccable standards.
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Smith debuted for New Zealand in 2012 and has been an almost guaranteed selection in the No 9 jersey since he arrived on the international scene due to his exceptional passing and second-to-none aerobic fitness.
Curiously, however, Smith hasn’t looked like the years are starting to catch up with him. If anything, the Highlanders co-captain appears to be getting better with age and is still just as quick around the park as he was when he first burst into the test arena as a 23-year-old.
The man himself has confirmed that he feels he’s in better physical shape than in years gone by, which should signal to the rest of the world that come the 2023 World Cup, the All Blacks are still likely to have a fit and firing Aaron Smith running the show from the No 9 jersey, despite the fact that he’ll be almost 35.
“I’ve said it a few times, but I feel better now than I did in my late-20s,” said Smith at the launch of the latest All Blacks jersey. “It’s all about what you’re willing to put in, but the mental side of it is easy.”
Smith acknowledged that while he’s mastered the mentality that’s needed to be a professional athlete at the highest level of the game, maintaining peak physical condition is still an ongoing challenge.
“The top two inches is easy around getting mentally ready for things,” he said. “But physically it’s just hard work. There is no substitution. You earn everything you get.
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“I watch a lot of sports overseas around athletes I like that motivate me. The longevity is more around consistency, and little things done well and often. It’s small sacrifices, but there are big rewards if you are able to stay committed to something.”
The man considered by many to be the best in his position in the world – despite fierce competition from South Africa’s Faf de Klerk and France’s Antoine Dupont – hasn’t been afraid to seek external help to keep himself fit and ready to go each and every week.
No matter how well you look after your body, age creeps up on everyone, even professional athletes, which is why Smith has had to seek assistance in ensuring he can maintain his exceptional standards and adjust the way he prepares and recovers from matches.
Aaron Smith is about to join an exclusive club at 32-years-old with plenty left to give. #NZLvAUS #BledisloeCup https://t.co/iMqI0K0n34
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 5, 2021
“I can’t just go run the roads like I used to,” he acknowledged. My knees and joints don’t like it. But there are watt bikes and things now to help if you’re willing.
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“I do a lot of stuff before I even get to training in the mornings. I’ve got a very good routine around where I know I need to get my body to, and spend a lot of time with nutrionists around the fuel I put in.
“I spend a lot of money on recovery. I get a couple of rubs a week, and I’m very stringent with recovery pumps, ice baths and sauna. I have all that at home. I’m willing to pay for my body and I’m willing to make sure that it gives me as much as it can.”
Rugby players of the pre-professional era may baulk at the lengths Smith has to go to keep him running out onto the park week upon week – but it simply shows how committed the 32-year-old is to being the best player he can be.
In Auckland on Saturday Smith will become the 10th player to clock up a century of matches for the All Blacks – and the first halfback to achieve the feat.
The match kicks off at 7:05pm from Eden Park.
Comments on RugbyPass
A long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates live or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is hear and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
5 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
2 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
5 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
5 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
2 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to comments