Just a lad ...
You might be a little Ben Smithed out but our feeling is you can NEVER have enough Ben Smith.
He’s just a bit special, to be fair.
It has been a big week in these hallowed pages as we have given the launch of his book a hefty push, not because the Otago Daily Times printed it — you cynics — but because he is our Ben, and because the numbers show that readers still love anything to do with the great man.
I don’t pretend to know Ben well but I have enjoyed having a couple of yarns with him.
Burned brightly into my brain are two memories of the Smith lad.
The first was when he emerged on the Dunedin club rugby scene in the mid-oughts. Willowy (read: skinny) and smooth and just so natural and keen with the ball in hand.
He wore headgear a lot then, and he captured the attention of my late, great colleague Alistair "oh oh oh" McMurran, who decided young Benjamin was a dead ringer for Wallabies great Stephen Larkham. And Ali did love to rave about a player he decided was the next big thing.
"He has the same silky skills and the ability to find gaps where none should exist. He has speed off the mark that puts pressure on the defence, and the ability to move outside his second five-eighth on the loop around. He is also dangerous down the short side.
"Smith also has the same kicking skills as Larkham with accurate and long punting that regularly picks off 60m and he can kick goals from halfway.
"Like Larkham, he has the ability to read a game and his passing is swift and accurate and he can put support players into gaps.
"Smith should be tagged Ben-Larkham Smith because he has the potential to go a long way in the game."
And the priceless kicker:
"If Smith lived in Australia, his skills would be recognised and he would be brought into an enlarged Wallaby squad."
Good spotting, Ali.
... from ...
My other vivid early Ben Smith memory is, er, not so pleasant.
The young man made his debut at fullback when Otago headed to Wellington for the opening round of the NPC in 2007, and I was at the Cake Tin to cover the game for the ODT.
It did not go well for any of us.
Otago was "roasted to a crisp", wrote I, as the season started with a 68-7 loss — Otago’s worst in 126 years.
Much better times were to come for the team and its genius fullback.
... Green Island
As I have written before, one of the things that made Smith so endearing to us was that he was an Otago man to the core, and so loyal he might have had the Dave Dobbyn song as his ringtone.
It is impossible to imagine him playing for a school other than King’s, a club other than Green Island or a Super Rugby team other than the Highlanders.
But his book (published by us!), released this week, has the shocking revelation — which I think is new to many of us — that Smith came close to signing for the Crusaders back in the day.
Well, he didn’t really come close at all.
The Evil Empire came a’calling with a big offer, $180,000 for a top-shelf Super Rugby salary and some lucrative third-party deals on top of that.
Smith admits in the book that he slept on the offer before calling agent Warren Alcock and uttering this sensational comment:
“It’s like this. My mum and dad live in Dunedin, my uncle lives in Dunedin, Katie was born in Dunedin, Katie’s parents live in Dunedin. None of them would talk to me if I wore a red and black jersey. So, it’s a ‘no’, but thank them.”
That is exactly how we would have responded. Except we wouldn’t have thanked them. You’re too polite, Ben.
Birthplace of champions
Some outfit called LordOfOdds.co.nz has crunched the data to find out which city has produced the most professional rugby players.
It examined nearly 3000 players who played in the Rugby Championship or Rugby World Cup since 1987.
Auckland came out on top — no real surprise when you consider its population base and also its production line of outstanding Pasifika talent — with 118 players.
Second was a little unexpected: Argentina capital Buenos Aires with 88.
Sydney was third with 58.
In terms of overall countries, the United Kingdom set the pace with 473 ahead of New Zealand (369) and South Africa (253).
The ranking of "towns that brought Richie McCaw into the world" was very interesting.
Oamaru No 1, baby.
World Cup predictions
A reminder The Last Word is utterly hopeless at picking winners, so do not consider putting any money on these.
I am also moderately hamstrung by the fact the last pool games have not been played as I write this. But here goes.
Round of 16: Netherlands to beat USA, Argentina to beat Australia, France to beat Poland, England to beat Senegal (perhaps it is coming home!), Japan to beat Croatia, Brazil to beat Ghana, Spain to beat Morocco, Portugal to beat Switzerland.
Quarterfinals: Brazil to beat Japan, Argentina to beat Netherlands, Spain to beat Portugal, England to beat France (oh I am certain it is coming home).
Semifinals: Brazil to beat Argentina, Spain to beat England (it’s not coming home).
Final: Brazil to beat Spain.
