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'We seem to have become robotic': Former All Blacks coach hits out at current state of rugby in New Zealand

By Alex McLeod
Wayne Smith. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Former All Blacks coach Wayne Smith has hit out at the current state of rugby in New Zealand, labelling the way in which Kiwi teams play as “robotic” and “predictable”.

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Speaking on The Breakdown on Monday, Smith suggested there was a lack of efficiency and effectiveness among sides playing in Super Rugby Aotearoa and called on teams to add some variability into their game.

After having recently returned to New Zealand from Japan, where he serves as director of rugby at reigning Top League champions Kobelco Steelers, the 63-year-old said the contrast in the styles of play was noticeable.

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“One of the things I’ve noticed since I got back from Kobe about five weeks ago is everyone’s playing pods, so they’ll have three forwards off the No 9, for example, but we seem to have become kind of robotic, going through the phases,” Smith said.

“It’d be interesting to know… how many phases does it take to score a try? I’m picking it’s probably three or four phases.

“Probably 75 percent of your tries come from those three or four phases. I’d like to see us be a bit more efficient and effective off those plays.”

As an example of how New Zealand teams could spice their tactics up, Smith added that the two support players in a pod of three could act as possible recipients of the ball instead of constantly cleaning out at the ensuing breakdown.

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“To me, you get those three or four guys coming off No 9, for example, you hit the middle guy, the two guys on the outside are there to clean, no one’s coming outside them for an offload, and it becomes a bit predictable.

“I’d like to see an option or two outside that third guy. I’d like to see those two guys [become] actual options before they clean and be able to keep the ball alive a bit more.”

Smith, who was head coach of the All Blacks between 2000 and 2001 and served as an assistant under Sir Graham Henry between 2004 and 2011 and Sir Steve Hansen between 2015 and 2017, did reserve some praise for certain Kiwi sides, though.

The two-time World Cup-winning assistant admired the way in which the Highlanders have played an up-tempo style of play, despite their last-place ranking on the current Super Rugby Aotearoa standings.

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“You talked about the Highlanders, they know how to keep the ball alive. There are parts of the game that aren’t working for them, but they’re beautiful to watch at times with their support play,” Smith said.

“Their players arrive thinking they’re going to get an offload before they clean, and then they clean and I really enjoy that about them.”

Smith was similarly impressed by how the Crusaders had performed, citing the efficiency of the team as a whole and that of star playmaker Richie Mo’unga as their standout qualities.

“You talked about the Crusaders there and Tabai [Matson] talked about their efficiency. They’re efficient in just about every area and that’s what I really like about them,” he said.

“From their phase plays, they’re quick into position, they’re in open doorways, they all come forward together, they do the obvious quickly. If a gap opens up, they’re through that gap quickly. They support really well.

“The thing I really love, and you talk about Richie Mo’unga, I’m pretty certain that Richie Mo’unga learns from each play.

“So you watch the Crusaders play, they’ll go through the first half, they make various plays, they’re coming out in the second half, and bang, he’s picked that inside defender’s drifting or they’ve been doing tips, so they’ll go in behind, and he just seems to do it every match.

“That to me is efficiency.”

It’s that efficiency and high-energy style of play that Smith is trying to implement himself at Kobelco, who are currently undefeated in second place in the White Conference standings of the Top League.

Smith made note of how that style of rugby is commonplace in Japanese rugby, as evidenced by All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick’s loss in weight since joining Kobelco on an 18-month sabbatical deal last year.

Retallick’s weight is listed on his online All Blacks profile as 123kg, but Smith said the 29-year-old has dropped down to 117kg to cope with the pace of the game in Japan.

“The game’s different over there. If you watch Kobe play at the moment and see Brodie Retallick, he’s down to 117kg because he’s got to be able to keep up with the game, and he’s magnificent. He is absolutely magnificent,” Smith said.

“It’s a faster game. When I went there in 2018, I was sort of given the free reign, I suppose, to play the sort of game I always wanted a team to play, so we have a very attacking style.

“We put a lot of support into our support play. We don’t go behind players very often with our pass, we go in front of them so that those players can then get an offload and keep the ball alive.

“It is different. It’s really quick, it’s highly skilled and it’s a lot of fun. A lot of fun to be a part of.”

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Jon 5 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”?

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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.

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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

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T
Trevor 12 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.

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