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Joined September 2013
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Yet another ex-pat kiwi who now lives in Australia.
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The Wallabies' backline likely have their best shot to crack the All Blacks' backline in next week's final Bledisloe Cup match with the departure…
Like all rugby fans, I too was shocked but disappointed that Jake White announced his departure from the Brumbies just three weeks out from…
Hi Chan Wee. You raise many good points but I think there is a reason why NZ have reversed the late 90s/ 00’s movement of moving backs into the centers. They simply don;t play well off the ball, land lack the offensive arsenal to be much of an offensive threat. Leon McDonald and Christian Cullen were both completely busts at centre, despite being talented fullbacks (Cullen, in particular, was breathtaking to watch).
The notion that just because someone is a great individual player doesn’t necessarily translate into someone who can do their actual job at outside centre. Thankfully, since ’09’ (when the Boks exposed the ABs), there has been more emphasis as to the need for a complete package and subsequently we saw (on and off) midfielders being moved to the wing for a change (Kahui, Ranger etc).
Hopefully, Ben Smith can go against the grain and prove me wrong. I was, and remain a huge admirer of his game and hope that he will pick up where Conrad Smith left off. Not expecting any miracles or shadows of Conrad, but hopefully he can stamp his own authority on the position and inject some new ideas.
Can Ben Smith fill the void left by Conrad Smith?
Thanks Moaman, and you raise a very valid idea. It’s certainly achievable – long gone are the days when franchises and provinces are tied into one. Hopefully the NZRU can look into this, and address it prior to the (expected) departures of Smith and Nonu in 2015.
Can Ben Smith fill the void left by Conrad Smith?
Cheers Dave, and I agree, it’s very disappointing to see two quality players leave offshore. They would certainly of alleviated some of the concerns regarding the midfield.
Can Ben Smith fill the void left by Conrad Smith?
Thanks for the feedback OJ. I agree that Conrad is one of the most important players in the team – the work he does, they’re incredible and he does it with such ease that one expects him to do it week-in-week-out.
I do worry about Ben Smith’s size though. As I mentioned in the article, he is a clever defender but with a small stature, there’s only so much you can do. Tevita Kuridrani is 20KG heavier and 10cm taller so we have a clear mismatch here, which can present problems. Come England, he will go against Tuilagi, who is a good 30KG heavier than he is.
Won’t be easy for Ben unfortunately.
Can Ben Smith fill the void left by Conrad Smith?
Interesting prospect. He certainly quite big for a FB, but at only age 21, it may be too hasty to throw such a young talent in the deep end. I’d say to give him time to fully develop and to learn his trade at 15 from Dagg before looking at him for the tuture (post RWC 2015).
It’s interesting to note that he must be quite strong too as he displace Ma’a Nonu in the scrums last week (after Ben Frank’s yellow). Looked like he was quite committed and held his own in the scrum (at blindside).
Can Ben Smith fill the void left by Conrad Smith?
Bit of both I think. As you did rightly point out, NZ is quite lucky that Conrad and Ma’a developed in Wellington, under the mentor of Tana. In terms of defense, well I guess we’re still not there yet.. Ma’a will always be somewhat lazy, especially towards the latter stages of the match. The reckless shoulder charges that he does here and there almost suggests that he’s screaming to be giving a breather from a match.
Can Ben Smith fill the void left by Conrad Smith?
Personally, I don’t think they will move Carter to inside centre. New Zealand has abandoned the idea that the inside centre should be a second playmaker – and instead prefer to use crash runners such as Nonu and SBW to throw themselves at the line to disrupt the defense.
Secondly, and this is a pivotal point, some may have noticed that Dagg hasn’t scored many tries of late (not a single one in TRC), and that’s because NZ is now using him as their secondary playmaker, rather than the finisher which he once was. He has quick hands, and has great timing with his passes, which allows him to suck in a defender and free up his outside player.
Can Ben Smith fill the void left by Conrad Smith?
Geez, I really dislike having a go at the referee, and more so with Joubert with whom I have tremendous respect for – but this, this simply cannot stand. How can Joubert miss so many infringements by England and the foul play by Ashton on Cruden?
All Blacks vs England: International Test live scores