Aaron Smith signs off his All Blacks career at home with a nuggety performance

All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith had to take a moment when he ran out on to Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday night for the final time in his illustrious test career.

The biggest cheer of the night erupted from the capacity crowd of 28,265 at Dunedin’s roofed venue when their favourite son entered the fray in the 53rd minute to replace starting No 9 Finlay Christie. It was his 118th test appearance, but definitely one of the special ones as he took his final bow on Kiwi soil at the stadium where he has carved so many fine memories.

“At the scrum I was pretty happy it reset,” he reflected after the 23-20 comeback victory he played such an important part in securing. “I had to check myself. It was special, and even when I was running round the sideline warming up, they were, ‘c’mon Nuggy’. I wanted to be focused and do my job, and I knew the only way I could do the cheer justice was to add to the game.

“It was special and my heart was definitely racing.”

Smith said he tried to take emotion out of the equation all week, and especially when he entered with the match well and truly in the balance.

“You just wanted to be part of a good performance. It wasn’t pretty but in end we won and that was the step we had to take to keep gathering that momentum,” he said.

For a brief moment, in the 78th minute, when Smith dashed clear from a scrum under penalty advantage it looked like he really might have a moment to savour.

“For about two seconds I thought I was gone,” smiled Smith of a moment that turned into Richie Mo’unga’s game-winning penalty. “Then he caught me pretty quickly. I didn’t want to do too much because if I went any further he might have gone ‘advantage over’.

“It was cool to add to the game and I just wished I had a winger with me or someone faster to put away.”

Smith said he would try to stay as relaxed as possible ahead of Monday’s World Cup squad announcement.

“We travel home, and find out Monday. You just be around your family. It’s all about what you’ve done in the last 6-8 weeks, and just being hopeful, and reflective. I’ll have my phone on loud and will be praying to hear some good news.”

In terms of where the All Blacks are at heading into the global event, Smith gave a glowing appraisal.

“We’ve taken some massive steps from 2022,” he said. “I’m proud of how far we’ve come this year. I’m really excited about the future and what this year holds and where our team is at. We’ve just played an amazing test, blooded some new boys into our brotherhood and we’re waiting for hopefully Christmas on Monday.”

Fellow veteran Dane Coles, another signing off his test career at home, agreed with his long-time team-mate about the All Blacks’ readiness for what lies ahead.

“It’s a great start. There’s a lot of confidence in the group, and we’re heading in the right direction,” he said. “But I’ve been through those dark times as an All Black, and it’s one bad performance and you’re back to pressure under you. We’ve got to keep feet firmly on the ground. We can be proud of what we’ve done this year, but it doesn’t count for anything if we don’t perform at the World Cup.”

Coles was part of a strong showing off the bench, with the front row, in particular, outstanding as they earned scrum dominance.

“I tried to take the emotion out of it because you end up playing poor and it overcomes you,” he added. “I was proud of the boys who stepped up for the first time in the jersey, and they’ll learn a lot out of a good all-round lesson for the team.”

And the wait for the cup squad?

“It will be nerve-racking. We go home and they’ll give us a call. You try to keep busy, and look at your phone. I’ve given myself a crack and that’s all you can ask. The rest will take care of itself.”