All Blacks legend Conrad Smith believes ‘Ireland are the better team’

Two-time World Cup winner says ‘exceptional’ Irish deserve to be favourites for quarter-final

The favourites’ tag is often bandied around as a factor in these weeks, but South African journalist Mark Keohane pointed out on social media that the New Zealand TAB (bookmaker) has only had the All Blacks as underdogs four times in 359 games since it first set odds in 1996.

All of those games were away in South Africa and New Zealand lost each time. Ireland are favourites on Saturday.

Conrad Smith knows what an exceptional team looks like, so when he casually drops that word into a conversation around this Ireland side, it’s time to sit up and take notice.

He came into the tournament believing Ireland and France are the best two teams and is of the view that Andy Farrell’s side are justified favourites in the quarter-final against his old team.

“It hasn’t been a surprise when you look at the progression of Ireland and that team when you look at the last four or five years,” he told the Irish Independent.

“They’ve an exceptionally good side who have a great record behind them. Even at the start of this tournament, I felt Ireland and France were the best two teams. That’s been the way it’s played out.

“There’s been a few surprises with the other teams – and the gap between the top four and the rest, I’ve never seen that before at a World Cup. I didn’t expect it to be as big, that’s been a surprise.

“But the form of Ireland hasn’t surprised me, they deserve to be favourites. They’re a really, really good rugby team and it’s going to be a good match anyway.”

​It has been somewhat disconcerting to listen to New Zealanders past and present speak so effusively about the men in green. At yesterday’s press conference, the All Blacks repeatedly said that Ireland are “the best team in the world” as a statement of fact, somehow managing not to choke on the words as they came out.

For so long, that mantle was part of the New Zealand brand.

As a world-class centre who was a key part of the teams that won the 2011 and 2015 World Cups in New Zealand and England, Smith has first-hand experience of a great rugby team. His was the best there’s ever been.

Now chair of the International Rugby Players body, he’s in France for the tournament and has watched his old team at close quarters as they’ve played their way back into form following their opening-night defeat to the hosts.

At the same time Ian Foster has been rotating his team, Ireland have been backing up games and building from important match to important match.

Could that be a factor this weekend?

“I don’t think it will matter, I’ve been in those positions,” Smith said. “At our World Cups, we had one where it was really difficult because you don’t play quality opposition and you worry about it. On the other side, you’d be battle-hardened.

“Both teams knew what it would be like going into it, it is what it is and they’d have prepared. They’re both in good shape, it just comes down to the 80 minutes. I don’t think the build-up will have an impact on the end result.”

What about history and Ireland’s awful record at this stage of World Cups?

“I don’t know!” Smith smiled. “As you can tell from my answer, I’m finding it really hard to know what’s going to happen. I think Ireland right now are the better team.

“I’d love to think the All Blacks have got one in us to get one over the Irish, but it’s a game that if it was played 10 times, the All Blacks could win three or four.

“And that’s what you do on these big occasions. I’m saying the same about South Africa v France. France are favourites, but South Africa have a chance to get one over them. It all depends on some pivotal moments in the game. And I hope they’re players’ moments rather than referees.”

Players are Smith’s focus.

He’s speaking from a player-welfare conference in Bordeaux, while he’s also been vocal on the issue of tier-two teams getting the opportunity to play the big hitters more frequently in between World Cups.

The World Series, which is due to come in in 2026 and won’t have relegation until 2030, will cut the likes of Portugal and Samoa off from the biggest unions despite their World Cup performances.

The Nations Cup will have a second-tier Challenger Series, but Smith insists that World Rugby must commit to promotion/relegation from 2030.

“We have been very much raising it, but from my understanding the proposal that has been on the table is very clear there will be promotion and relegation, and there will be no outs on that,” he said.

“Even that’s a movement from when it was originally discussed when there was no promotion and relegation. Even the thought of it had to be qualified with all sorts of criteria.

“Now it is an absolute commitment that it has to start.”