1
What ‘grounded’ Aaron Smith after heartbreaking World Cup final defeat
Aaron Smith is no longer an All Black. After more than 120 Test matches, the glistening international career of arguably the greatest halfback in Test rugby history came to a heartbreaking end.
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New Zealand were beaten 12-11 by a tough South African outfit in Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final at Stade de France, but Smith still found a reason to smile after the decider.
You could see it on the All Blacks’ faces as the Springboks walked onto the podium to receive their gold medals at the prestigious Webb Ellis Cup – the New Zealanders were hurting.
But moments before, Aaron Smith had walked onto that very same stage to collect his silver medal. Smith showed his son the medal, and suddenly the fact it was silver wasn’t everything.
Smith, 34, wanted to win the final, of course he did, but sharing that stage with one of his kids was a moment “you have to be grateful for.”
So, Aaron Smith is no longer an All Black, but he is a dad.
“I went to get my kids, they don’t know how you are feeling but they still love you. That really grounded me, they still love their dad,” Smith said.
“He still loved the medal, those are the moments you have to be grateful for and brings things into perspective. Family is important.
Knockout
11 - 12
Final
6 - 44
SF1
15 - 16
SF2
17 - 29
QF1
24 - 28
QF2
30 - 24
QF3
28 - 29
QF4
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“This game was important but I came off the field and I gave everything I could and the team had. Sport is like that. The memories I have made and been a part of, from the quarter-final, it has been a hell of a month.”
The All Blacks can hold their heads up high after the painful defeat. Captain Sam Cane was red-carded midway through the first term which was a hammer blow to New Zealand’s hopes of World Cup glory.
But to their credit, the All Blacks refused to throw in the towel. New Zealand even had a chance to snatch the title at the death but the Boks managed to hold on for gold.
“We didn’t die wondering,” Smith told reporters. “I think we threw everything we had and the champions South Africa held strong in those key moments and they held strong in the moments, got turnovers.
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“They nailed those little moments. That’s rugby. That’s Test match rugby and it’s brutal sometimes. It was an amazing game to be a part of and I was proud of our effort tonight.
Match Summary 
2
Penalty Goals
4
1
Tries
0
0
Conversions
0
0
Drop Goals
0
149
Carries
85
7
Line Breaks
4
19
Turnovers Lost
9
2
Turnovers Won
7
“We always have plans around if we get cards and how our game changes, depending on what the position is of the guy carded,” Smith added when asked about Cane’s red card.
“It was good at half-time to get some alignment on that and how we wanted to play and try to strike from scrums.
“We held strong with one less forward and had opportunities but we just couldn’t get over the line again.”
Comments on RugbyPass
A great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
3 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
3 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
3 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
3 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
3 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
228 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
4 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
87 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
19 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
30 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
228 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
228 Go to comments