'What concerned me was the 'dumbing down' of Australian rugby. For a long time, Australian rugby was the most innovative on the planet'
When mentioning the name Wayne Smith and rugby, many would think of the former All Black and coaching maestro who has quietly been the cornerstone of much of New Zealand rugby’s success this century.
Yet there is another Wayne Smith in rugby, arguably the doyen of Australian Rugby journalism for the past several decades, and he recently decided to put down the quill after a career that started in 1971 as a cadet for the Brisbane Telegraph and ended as the chief rugby scribe for The Australian.
Akin to his Kiwi namesake, the man affectionally known as ‘Smithy’ has quietly been the cornerstone of his trade and despite not being a capped international or a coach of any repute, Wayne Smith’s intelligence and understanding of the game has had an influence on Australian rugby that cannot be underestimated.
The indomitable Queenslander has never feared to ask the hard question and his courage to tackle many issues in the Australian game has often kept players, coaches and administrators alike accountable.
Smith’s ability to cut through the ‘BS’ and get to the crux of any issue and to report it so with absolute clarity is his genius. Smithy will leave a void in Australian rugby journalism that will be exceptionally hard to fill.
RugbyPass writer Nick Turnbull sat down for a Q&A with Australian Rugby’s famous writer.
Q. Wayne Smith, congratulations on a magnificent career and thank you for taking the time to speak with RugbyPass. Players often know when it’s time to retire, coaches often get retired and administrators the same. However, how does a rugby journalist know when it’s time to move on?
A. I confess that the day-to-day grind of gathering news began to wear me down. I still derived tremendous satisfaction from writing my columns. Not so much the news stories. I’ve always loved being able to break a major news story, so that fall-off in enthusiasm did send me a message.
Q. What was the first game of rugby you covered?
A. The first game I ever covered was undoubtedly a Brisbane club fixture. I can picture the day, going up to the press box and finding myself in the company of the great Frank O’Callaghan. I know that one team was Brothers – and not just because Frank was there. Back in 1971, virtually every Brothers player also played for Queensland and tries were coming so thick and fast that I almost lost count. But I can’t recall the other side.
The first representative game I covered was Queensland against the British Lions on May 12, 1971. It was the Lions’ opening match of a tour that would take them to New Zealand where the only other match they lost was to the All Blacks in the second of four tests in Christchurch. I recall the Lions used a switch kick-off to start the match, aiming left and kicking right and almost scored within seconds.
But Queensland fought back and really took it to the Lions, who were straight off the plane. So strong was the Queensland side that Jules Guerassimoff and David L’Estrange could not be accommodated in the starting side, though heaven knows what the Lions thought when Rod Kelleher was injured and Guerassimoff came on as his replacement.
The indelible memory I have of that 15-11 win is the huge field goal landed by Lloyd Graham. The Lions would go on to have an undefeated run through another 21 provincial matches but, as was their custom, they always handed over their mascot to the first side that beat them – and that was Queensland. It remains today as Queensland rugby’s proudest possession.
Q. You have covered Australian rugby from the days of absolute amateurism, ‘sh-amateurism’ all the way through to professionalism and its evolution. What are your reflections on how Australian rugby has adapted and evolved during these periods?
A. I’ve often said that Australian rugby was the most professional in the world at a time when the game was amateur. The presence of rugby league made that inevitable.
Competing against a professional rival rugby code in your own backyard made rugby all the sharper. Australian rugby had to fight harder than anywhere in the world just to keep its players. Still, each year, there would be a steady drain to rugby league.
When the game finally did turn professional in 1995, rugby was brilliantly placed to steal a march on the rest of the world. Rugby league had taught it many painful lessons but the most important was that – with some conspicuous exceptions – the Wallabies could tackle. It is no fluke that Australia won the first World Cup of the professional era and went within 30 seconds of a kick-off for the second. Both those performances were built on defence.
Over time the rest of the world caught up and, sadly, went past Australia. What concerned me was the ‘dumbing down’ of Australian rugby. For a long time, Australian rugby was the most innovative on the planet and opposing teams acknowledged that the Wallabies were the cleverest team they faced. Not any more, although I do like the direction in which Dave Rennie is taking his young brigade.
Q. What is your favourite era of Australian rugby and why?
A. I suppose the expected response would be the 1990s. After all, Australia won two World Cups in this period. But I didn’t cover either. The 1991 tournament was Frank O’Callaghan’s farewell tour and by the time of the 1999 tournament I was (temporarily) not writing rugby.
So my favourite era would be the dozen or so years in advance of them, starting with the Wallabies’ 30-16 win over the All Blacks at Eden Park. The following year, they beat them again in Sydney to win the Bledisloe Cup, while 1980 delivered what was arguably the greatest performance by an Australian provincial side when Queensland beat the All Blacks.
Australia could have won its first Grand Slam on the 1981-2 tour of Europe but Paul McLean had a rare bad tour with the boot. Then, after a drawn series against Scotland, nine Queenslanders announced their retirement from Test rugby, including the Holy Trinity of Mark Loane, Tony Shaw and McLean. But that allowed Bob Dwyer to take a young but vastly talented side to New Zealand where they shook the All Blacks mightily before losing the series 2-1. It was the world’s first real taste of Ella magic.
The following year introduced Australian rugby to the Pumas’ ‘bajada’ with the Wallabies having to dig deep to draw the series in the Second Test. Next came the Alan Jones era, which produced the 1984 Grand Slam and the 1986 Bledisloe Cup triumph in New Zealand.
But by 1987, the year of the inaugural World Cup, the Wallabies were running out of steam, losing to France in an epic semi-final. Dwyer returned as coach and Australia began its steady climb to the ultimate triumph of 1991, though there were some heartbreaks along the way, most especially the squandered test series against the British and Irish Lions in 1989.
But the critical result, the one which ensured Dwyer would remain as coach, came in Wellington when Sam Scott-Young dragged himself off his death bed to play a blinder as the All Blacks’ unbeaten run of 50 matches, including 23 tests, was finally broken as Australia won 21-9. It set the scene for the heroics of the following year.
Q. What was the hardest issue in Australian rugby for you to report on and why?
A. The widely-expected answer would be the Israel Folau issue. And that truly did become difficult, with everything written being subjected to the ‘woke’ test. But the issue I found most painful was the decision to cull an Australian side from Super Rugby in 2017.
I believe the response of Hamish McLennan last year when he called NZ’s bluff and simply demanded the inclusion of five Australian teams showed what could have been done.
But in 2017, the belief was that one team had to go and it very quickly was reduced to Melbourne Rebels v Western Force. My argument was that it was a whole-of-rugby problem and so deserved a whole-of-rugby solution.
But the then Australian Rugby Union was intent on culling a side and right from the moment it sold the ARU its licence, the Force’s head was on the block. I called for the removal of the entire board of the ARU but in the end the only resignation was that of Geoff Stooke, the brave Western Australian who opposed the axing of the Force. It was an ugly time in Australian rugby.
Q. You have no doubt had your rivals in the press box, but who have been the scribes who have had an influence on your career and why?
A. Initially Frank O’Callaghan of The Courier-Mail. As a young journalist with the Telegraph I was nominally Frank’s rival. For the first couple of years, I scarcely landed a blow on him, so totally did he have the game wrapped up.
But he taught me to be persistent and I confess some of my most satisfying moment were beating him to a story and then watch across the adjoining newsrooms as he winced when he read the final edition of the Telegraph. But he was a wonderful man and while I probably didn’t need any encouragement, he taught me it was okay for a journalist to cheer in the press box, so long as it was Queensland scoring against NSW.
Over the years, I have learned so much from Jim Webster, Phil Wilkins and Jimmy Woodward but the Sydney journalist who had the most profound influence on my career was Greg Growden. He was absolutely fearless and while I often felt that he had taken his criticism too far, I still admired the zeal with which he argued his case.
Certainly, everyone at ARU headquarters must have dreaded his exposes of Fort Fumble. It came as a devastating shock when he died last year, far too young
Q. What was your favourite rugby assignment abroad and why?
A. In 1989, The Courier-Mail sent me to South America with the Queensland team. It was John Connolly’s debut as Queensland coach and it was fascinating to watch his development on that tour.
The stories came thick and fast – the attempt by Chile to use seven South Africans in their side to play the Maroons and the Australian Foreign Affair’s fears that Queensland would organize a seven-a-side match against them.
It did get me crash-tackled in a game of touch by captain Bill Campbell for revealing that one of the Queensland players had said that he would play the South Africans anywhere at any time – which I thoroughly deserved but it was such a good quote – but I was treated as one of the players for the entire tour and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
And to be there on the ground floor while a player like Jason Little took his first steps as a serious rugby player was an extraordinary privilege.
Q. What was your favourite in-bound assignment and why?
A. The 2003 Rugby World Cup. I had been lured across from The Courier-Mail to The Australian that year by the offer of a feature writing job on the colour magazine but then, at the last moment, I was asked to cover the rugby.
It was supposed to be just for one year. Instead, it lasted 18 years, not that I am complaining. It was a tough gig, with Growden and Peter Jenkins then the two dominant rugby journalists but I did have some fun with England’s truck-and-trailer tactics. I’m still fighting that war, though now it has morphed into the driving maul. It is not a war I expect to win but, in my mind, it is legalized obstruction.
Q. You have a 24-hour flight to the UK and you get the chance to sit next to a fellow journalist for its entirety. Who would it be and why?
A. Robert “Crash” Craddock. Crash is as genuine a guy as he comes across on television and has forgotten more about cricket than I could ever hope to remember. He is an outstanding storyteller and would make the hours fly by.
Q. Let’s talk about the best Australian players and best foreign players you have seen. I’ll ask best Australian forward and why? Best foreign forward and why? Best Australian back and why? Best foreign back and why? Best Australian Captain and why?
A. Best forward – John Eales. He is the best Wallaby I have ever seen but, even so, it is a close-run thing with Mark Loane, the Queensland and Australian number eight. But Eales was exceptional. Who has ever heard of a 2m tall second-rower kicking goals to win a Bledisloe test?
Best foreign forward and best foreign captain – Richie McCaw. Well, of course, he was a cheat. I just wish he was “our cheat”. The All Blacks captain was the central figure in just about every test he played, with even the referee deferring to him. It was a rare day when the Wallabies beat him, but all the more special because of it.
Best back – a lot of names are bouncing around in my head: Mark Ella, Roger Gould, Michael O’Connor, Steve Larkham, Brendan Moon, but for sheer perfection in his role, it is impossible to go past Tim Horan. I believe he was the best 12 ever to play the game and, goodness knows, there are some famous inside centres who have done the rounds.
Best foreign back – Serge Blanco, Dan Carter, Jonah Lomu, Brian O’Driscoll….the list goes on. But the player who gave me most enjoyment was Christian Cullen of the All Blacks. He didn’t have Lomu’s explosive power or size but he could carve up a defence like no-one else.
Best captain – There was a degree of consternation when I picked Andrew Slack as the best outside centre I had seen during my career, ahead of Jason Little or Daniel Herbert. So I imagine there will be more protests on the way when I chose him ahead of World Cup-winning captains Nick Farr-Jones and Eales.
But bear with me. He led the side to the Grand Slam in 1984 and then found a way of topping it, as captain of the Australian side to beat the All Blacks on their own soil in 1986. Understated, modest to a fault, but Slack was nonetheless the man who welded.
Q. What was your favourite Australian side and why?
A. The 1978 Wallabies who beat the All Blacks 30-16 at Eden Park. Yes, it was the dead third test of a series that the All Blacks had already won – though Australia had a conversion attempt to win the first test in Wellington after the bell. But with their coach in hospital with a heart attack and a string of top-line Wallabies out, a ragtag Wallabies outfit inflicted the greatest defeat on the All Blacks to that point in their history.
Q. What was favourite side to tour this country and why?
A. The Irish side of 1979. Absolutely delightful tourists – right up to the point where they beat Australia 2-0 in the series. The English and the Welsh, the Australian had no trouble building up a hatred against them. Hence the Battle of Ballymore in 1975 against England. But the Irish were such nice people. Come match day, however, Ollie Campbell and Colin Patterson, Fergus Slattery, Willie Duggan and Ciaran Fitzgerald, turned into cold-hearted killers. Campbell did not miss a kick in the series.
Q. Who has been your favourite Australian coach and why?
A. How can I say anyone else but John Connolly, given that I travelled to Bath to persuade him to apply for the Wallabies coaching position when it became apparent that Eddie Jones was doomed in 2005.
He should have been given the job back in 1996 but interstate politics brought him down. He inherited a side that basically didn’t have a scrum and though he and scrum coach Michael Foley worked desperately hard to rectify that, he still was brought undone by it in the 2007 World Cup quarter-final against England.
I didn’t get to cover the Rod Macqueen era but Connolly had the best winning percentage of any other Australian coach of the professional era, winning 64 per cent of tests.
Besides, he told me everything.
Q. How would you like to see Australian rugby develop in the next 5 years?
A. How about some set piece moves from first phase?
Comments on RugbyPass
The World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
1 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
19 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments