What Ben Smith learned from the sending-off that spear-headed his career in France
“The replay got played over and over again and my head just kept dropping more and more as I looked at it.”
It probably wasn’t the start that former All Black Ben Smith had been hoping for in his first match for his adopted French side.
Having played almost 300 first-class matches back in New Zealand, it’s fair to say that the Dunedin-born fullback was hardly wet behind the ears – but all those games in front of the relatively tame Kiwi crowds hadn’t prepared him for the French cauldron that he’d now found himself him.
“Before I came over to France, I used to hear that there was a big thing about playing home and away and I didn’t really get it,” Smith told RugbyPass from the southwest of France.
“I sort of thought ‘well, you should be able to play the same at home or away.’”
In Smith’s first game for Pau, played away from home at Stade Francais’ Stade Jean-Bouin in Paris, the 84-cap All Black was quickly learning that his initial expectations couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I didn’t understand until I got over here,” Smith said. “It’s totally different.”
Smith started the match with 14 on his back – the same number he donned for his international debut 10 years earlier. It was just days before Christmas and Pau were chasing their sixth win of the Top 14 season.
The game started well enough for the visitors, with former Chiefs prop Siegfried Fisi’ihoi scoring a try and Antoine Hastoy adding 6 points from the boot to build up an 11-point lead.
Stade Francais quickly fought back, however, and with the scores poised at 12-11 shortly after half-time, the unthinkable happened.
“My first game of Top 14, I think it was about 60 minutes in, I got a red card,” said Smith. “The replay got played over and over again and my head just kept dropping more and more as I looked at it.
“I kept thinking ‘hopefully it’s only a penalty or a yellow’ – and then the next thing, I turned around and it’s a red.”
The outside back was certainly never considered an ill-disciplined or careless player in New Zealand. In 84 tests for the All Blacks, he had received just one yellow card – for a high tackle in the 2015 Rugby World Cup final.
That sending-off in Smith’s Top 14 debut was a punishment for the winger using his elbow to fend off Stade Francais hooker Lucas Da Silva. It was hardly the most reckless of fends – the kind of act that would often not even be looked at twice.
At Stade Jean-Bouin, however, it was looked at over and over and over again.
“You get over here and you sort of get an understanding of the passion that home supporters have,” Smith said.
“If you’re at home, all of a sudden, everything goes up on the big screen. It might be foul play or something and it goes straight up on the screen and everyone stops watching the game. The crowd looks up at the big screen and they start to get into it.
“I think all these kind of things make it hard as an away team, if you’re traveling, because sometimes the rub of the green goes against you.
“I got three weeks for that, which was interesting. But I suppose it’s all part of the learning over here, and you’ve just got to roll with it.”
Suffice to say, Smith had quickly learned how big an impact a home crowd can really have on a result.
That loss was one of many that Pau suffered in matches where they had started out well in control of proceedings.
“In the Top 14 – obviously I didn’t help when I got the red card – we just lost against Stade Francais and we had a couple of games where we were leading with a couple of minutes to go but we didn’t manage to close them out,” Smith said.
“I think this competition over here is just so tight, the top team could lose to the bottom team and there’s just nothing in these games.”
And although Pau were sitting well-adrift the top of the table when the Top 14 was called to a stand-still in early March, momentum was turning in the side’s favour.
“We played a couple of European Challenge Cup games and we managed to win a few of those, against Leicester and Cardiff,” Smith said. “We were tracking along pretty well when we beat those two teams.
“It’s unfortunate because we had a couple of big games coming up against some good teams that we wanted to have a crack at. If we managed wins then we’d be back around mid-ish table.”
For Smith personally, there have certainly been adjustments he’s had to make due to the differing conditions that the Top 14 is played under compared to Super Rugby in the Southern Hemisphere.
“Super Rugby kicks off at the end of summer so the weather’s a bit better,” said Smith.
“Even when it does get through to the winter months, down at the Highlanders we had the roof. Then you play in South Africa and in Australia, where it would be nice weather so, the games are always really, really fast.
“Whereas over here, in December and January, although we have had a couple of nice nights to play rugby, it’s probably just a wee bit more defence-orientated. The rucks get slowed down a wee bit more and that speed of ball sometimes just isn’t as quick. You can get frustrated with it.
“But there are just different ways to get involved in the game. There’s still a lot of kicking; if it’s a wet night, you still get kicked a lot of ball at the back. You do still feel like you’re into it and busy enough.”
Sad news for Highlanders fans with Japan-based Elliot Dixon confirming his plans for the year ahead. #SuperRugbyhttps://t.co/tjyWEs3mJJ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 12, 2020
When all’s said and done, the rugby and lifestyle in France has been hugely refreshing for Smith, who made his professional rugby debut way back in 2007.
“I’m loving it here,” he said.
“It’s been a great opportunity to come over here and it’s made me realise that in the rugby community, in general, there are so many good people involved in the game.
“Over here, even though our French is limited, there are so many good French people that are just the same as Kiwis back home. They love the game and work really hard. It’s been great to link up with a lot of those people over here and learn a bit about how they do things. To know them as people and what makes them tick has been pretty cool.
“I’ve actually really enjoyed the transition.”
With the French lockdown ending earlier this week, Smith will simply be hoping to get out of the house and spend more time with the people and the team that have welcomed them into his their set-up.
The Top 14 won’t be back on until the 2020-2021 season kicks of further down the track but the time off will give Smith and his teammates a chance to reset after a slow start to the current year.
Providing that the former All Blacks doesn’t double his red card tally, there should be plenty of good things to come.
Comments on RugbyPass
Brayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
5 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to comments