Aaron Smith
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Smith is so good he's going to leave a very large shadow when he departs and other players are unfairly compared to him after he's gone.
Think of how much better Smith is compared to the 9s that came before him (Marshall, Kelleher, Leonard, Ellis, Cowan, Weepu). Peak Marshall and Weepu are better than those other guys but even they don't compare to Smith.
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Aaron Smith is the best halfback i have ever seen, yes even above Joost who was my go to for, jesus i'm getting old, far too long now.
His workrate to get to every ruck on time is incredible. His support lines are near perfect. But that pass is something else. The All Blacks won lots and lots of lineout ball at 2 because not only was it safe, the width Smith gets on his pass means we can still attack off it. He's a really good yappy organiser too.
I don't care about bing a big defender, and i hate box kicks. I want my halfback to move the ball away from contact real fast, and hit his man where he wants it. Aaron Smith does that better than anyone.
The step down to TJP over the years has been vast, and when he goes we will really really miss him.
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we probably need to stop comparing all the other halfbacks to smith, they should try and get to his level but probably shouldn't be punished for not getting there
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@mariner4life I love those passes he does through traffic that hit the man.
Then was this passage, he touches the ball 11 times, ironically, his worst pass of the lot was the one that probably gave Nonu the extra space and time for us to then score.
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95 Bachop is the only other one who comes close to him. Weepu could have been up there but chose the pies and KFC.
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@taniwharugby that passage is perfect rugby by a team who should be out on their feet
Owen Franks' cleanout on Nonu at the last ruck is amazing, they had two guys there and he hits them both.
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Fuck I love watching that.
There's so much to enjoy... the rugby itself; then the TMO taking an age - with the crowd going absolutely feral in panic; and then the missed kick, followed by the 2nd chance to really REALLY rub their own salty tears into the wound.
Perfection. -
@kiwiwomble said in Aaron Smith:
we probably need to stop comparing all the other halfbacks to smith, they should try and get to his level but probably shouldn't be punished for not getting there
Disagree. Aaron Smith shows what happens when true professionals work on their game. Every other fluffybunny in New Zealand wearing 9 on their back can't fucking pass and they're clearly not working on it. For some reason their coaches aren't ripping them a new arsehole about it either, but I guess these days you have to create an environment where players want to improve...
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@antipodean said in Aaron Smith:
@kiwiwomble said in Aaron Smith:
we probably need to stop comparing all the other halfbacks to smith, they should try and get to his level but probably shouldn't be punished for not getting there
Disagree. Aaron Smith shows what happens when true professionals work on their game. Every other fluffybunny in New Zealand wearing 9 on their back can't fucking pass and they're clearly not working on it. For some reason their coaches aren't ripping them a new arsehole about it either, but I guess these days you have to create an environment where players want to improve...
Look at someone like Roe. Gets promoted up because he is a good sniper and has an eye for a gap. I wouldn't say that his passing is laboured but it is merely adequate. Saw little between pre-season and end of season that he has improved that area despite being in professional training for months without much game prep.
Not knocking the kid and he is probably doing what he is asked to. Just an example where coaches don't seem to be pushing this aspect despite it being the major skill that is required for a fast international game. -
@crucial said in Aaron Smith:
@antipodean said in Aaron Smith:
@kiwiwomble said in Aaron Smith:
we probably need to stop comparing all the other halfbacks to smith, they should try and get to his level but probably shouldn't be punished for not getting there
Disagree. Aaron Smith shows what happens when true professionals work on their game. Every other fluffybunny in New Zealand wearing 9 on their back can't fucking pass and they're clearly not working on it. For some reason their coaches aren't ripping them a new arsehole about it either, but I guess these days you have to create an environment where players want to improve...
Look at someone like Roe. Gets promoted up because he is a good sniper and has an eye for a gap. I wouldn't say that his passing is laboured but it is merely adequate. Saw little between pre-season and end of season that he has improved that area despite being in professional training for months without much game prep.
Not knocking the kid and he is probably doing what he is asked to. Just an example where coaches don't seem to be pushing this aspect despite it being the major skill that is required for a fast international game.Roe is still the best at the moment. Bring him into all blacks camp to learn of the master, can only be good for him
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@mackerzzzz said in Aaron Smith:
@crucial said in Aaron Smith:
@antipodean said in Aaron Smith:
@kiwiwomble said in Aaron Smith:
we probably need to stop comparing all the other halfbacks to smith, they should try and get to his level but probably shouldn't be punished for not getting there
Disagree. Aaron Smith shows what happens when true professionals work on their game. Every other fluffybunny in New Zealand wearing 9 on their back can't fucking pass and they're clearly not working on it. For some reason their coaches aren't ripping them a new arsehole about it either, but I guess these days you have to create an environment where players want to improve...
Look at someone like Roe. Gets promoted up because he is a good sniper and has an eye for a gap. I wouldn't say that his passing is laboured but it is merely adequate. Saw little between pre-season and end of season that he has improved that area despite being in professional training for months without much game prep.
Not knocking the kid and he is probably doing what he is asked to. Just an example where coaches don't seem to be pushing this aspect despite it being the major skill that is required for a fast international game.Roe is still the best at the moment. Bring him into all blacks camp to learn of the master, can only be good for him
Again, I'm not knocking him, he is a good prospect but I fail to see any more than promise at the moment. His biggest USP is sniping, something that gets rarer as you go up the ranks.
I just can't see why he is being talked up so much. Give him a little time (and a work on of speed and accuracy of pass).
If any young player looked like they may have spark this season it was Roigard. I would certainly be looking at incentivizing him by letting him know that he has eyes on him from up high. -
i find the core skills development in rugby codes to be pretty ordinary in the modern game. I reckon most players are promoted based on having a couple of things they do better than others, mostly physical (bigger, quicker, stronger) and the obvious skills that need developing just never improve.
I wonder if modern sports science has something to do with that? The capping of training loads meaning there isn't the time for that stuff between all teh team stuff they already do (ie defensive patterns, which i bet are an enormous part of a players week).
Also, it shouldn't be the job of the national coaches to develop core skills in players
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@mariner4life and thats a thing where you get these big strong fast kids identified early, and pushed through the ranks without properly developing thier core sklls, but by the same token, thes eplayers probably have smoke blown up thier arses and not told they need to go work on this or that as well, so some never will.
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@mariner4life said in Aaron Smith:
i find the core skills development in rugby codes to be pretty ordinary in the modern game. I reckon most players are promoted based on having a couple of things they do better than others, mostly physical (bigger, quicker, stronger) and the obvious skills that need developing just never improve.
I wonder if modern sports science has something to do with that? The capping of training loads meaning there isn't the time for that stuff between all teh team stuff they already do (ie defensive patterns, which i bet are an enormous part of a players week).
Also, it shouldn't be the job of the national coaches to develop core skills in players
Amen to that. Our best evers are all guys that went the extra mile themselves outside of the team training. From McCaw's extra fitness work to DCs endless kicking drills and Smith's total professional package.
There is no substitute for muscle memory. Practice a skill over and over until it becomes your level of ordinary. -
@r-l said in Aaron Smith:
@taniwharugby this thread was inspired by Roy in the disabled toilet wasn't it!?
I actually really like Aaron Smith.Nice try @R-L but you dont have to worry, you're a lifer with the Hijack Fernie..
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i am not for a second saying these skills aren't worked on. i just find it astounding that so many players go their whole career with an obvious skill flaw that just never develops.
TJP has been an international halfback for years, and can anyone really say his passing was better last year than in any other year of his career
it's what makes the development of Ma'a Nonu so extraordinary
