In 2016, Wayne Smith is the All Blacks’ Defence Specialist, but his coaching record spans a lot further than that.
Before he turned to coaching, Smith was a skillful first-five and amassed 35 games in the non-professional era, including 17 Tests for the All Blacks between 1980 and 1985. But as a coach, there is no doubting that Smith’s signature is one of the most valued and sought after in World Rugby, mainly because of his sensational record.
Smith coached the Crusaders to two Super Rugby titles between 1997 and 1999. This would eventually lead to a role as Head Coach of the All Blacks in the post-John Hart era in 2000-01. This included the famous Bledisloe encounter in Sydney where the All Blacks ran in three tries in as many minutes to kick-off the exciting game, only for the Wallabies to come storming back and take the lead late in the game. That was, before the one and only Jonah Lomu would eventually score the match-winning try for the All Blacks.
To this day, many people still look at that encounter in Sydney as the ‘greatest game of rugby ever played’.
Wayne Smith has also tasted heartbreak on the international stage–in his role as Assistant Coach during the 2007 Rugby World Cup where the All Blacks infamously bowed out to France at the quarter final stage inside the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Smith would also witness first-hand the 2011 Rugby World Cup-ending injury for Daniel Carter. In fact, Smith was standing under the goalposts watching and was first to Carter’s aid that day. “I took one look at him and I thought oh jeez” Smith famously said to the media the next day. That injury would apply immense pressure onto the Graham Henry coached side, before they prevailed 9-8 in the final, against France.
Following the All Blacks 2011 Rugby World Cup victory, Smith returned to Super Rugby and joined Dave Rennie at the Chiefs in yet another Assistant Coach role. Under Rennie and Smith, the Chiefs would win back-to-back Super Rugby titles, beating the Sharks and Brumbies in two successive home Grand Finals at Waikato Stadium.
When he returned to the All Blacks as a Defence Specialist, Smith traveled the country and spent many hours in one-on-one tutoring sessions with the players he knew would feature at the 2015 Rugby World Cup season. These men included Jerome Kaino, Daniel Carter, Beauden Barrett, and Julian Savea, four of the players who would go on to star in the tournament later that year. Smith took joy in watching this group go on to raise the Webb Ellis Cup for the third time by a New Zealand team.
Wayne Smith
With a career in rugby spanning 36-years, Wayne Smith has cemented his legacy as one of the most ‘intelligent minds’ behind the game, and as a new era of All Black rugby begins in 2016, Smith is still one of the loudest voices behind the scenes.
“Main photo credit”
