How John Eales' heroics inspired Aaron Smith through All Blacks' Bledisloe dominance
This is so All Blacks. Aaron Smith has tasted a lot of success against the Wallabies over the years – he has played them 29 times, and lost just thrice – but the Bledisloe that burns brightest in his memory is one he watched as a young boy that ended in Kiwi heartache.
Smith runs out as starting halfback for his 30th clash against the Wallabies, and 117th cap in all, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday night (9.45pm kickoff NZT) as the All Blacks attempt to lock away both the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup for the year. They are at short odds to do so and extend a two-decade trans-Tasman dominance over the Australians.
It’s remarkable, really, that the All Blacks not only remain highly motivated by a Bledisloe Cup they uniformly regard as the most prized trophy they play for outside the World Cup, but also to stay on top of an Aussie outfit they have dominated for almost the entirety of the millennium. Part of it is the albeit fading memory of what it was like when the Wallabies held sway for a brief period in the late-90s and early 2000s, and part of it is the wariness of the Australian sporting psyche.
All Blacks like Smith, and his cohort of veteran team-mates, understand what a privileged position it is to dominate an Australian national team in any sport. And, though they are to a man reluctant to talk about it, they are assuredly imbued with the fear of being pert of the team that finally gives the big trophy back to the Aussies. That hasn’t happened, of course, since the New Zealanders last recaptured it in 2003.
During the intervening period the All Blacks have more or less owned the Wallabies. There have been pockets of resistance, and intermittent thrillers that have gone to the wire, but it has been a rivalry in name only. The New Zealanders have won the last five, and eight of the last 10 (with a draw thrown in). The Aussies have prevailed in just three of the last 20 and six of the previous 40.
It was notable, then, to hear Smith’s response before crossing the ditch on Thursday when asked his most vivid Bledisloe memory.
“John Eales’ kick (to beat the All Blacks 24-23 in Wellington in 2000),” he responded. “I was at the Feilding pub with my dad sitting on a crate with some chips. Seeing the pub go quiet, it was heartbreaking.
“I remember ‘03 when [the All Blacks] won it – that was pretty cool. But I remember the Eales kick clearly, kinda being baffled, ‘why is he taking the kick?’ When he hit it, I saw why. I was a young boy and was pretty gutted.”
Smith then deftly dodged a query on how motivated he was by the fear of losing the Bledisloe, but his clear memory of a telling defeat so long ago speaks clearly to that.
“It’s up for grabs every year ... each year you’ve got to earn it,” says the 34-year-old on his final lap of the track with the All Blacks before heading to Japan. “Winning it means a lot to us. It’s why you play rugby, It gives you the wiri-wiri, those feelings of tension, excitement, nerves and being blessed to win the Bledisloe. That feeling with the cup sitting in the middle of the room after a game – they’re very fond memories.”
Smith brushed aside any relevance of last year’s close call in Melbourne (won, at the last gasp, 39-37 by the All Blacks with a helping hand from Mathieu Raynal), though not of the significance of the countries’ first meeting of the year.
“You feel what’s coming,” he said. “As an All Black we’re blessed to be in this situation, with this rivalry. The Bledisloe has a different meaning to us. These are the games you want to be part of. They’ll be going in with attitude of wanting to play against us. It’s really about how we front up, at a big venue, on their turf ... you want to walk towards it and embrace it.”
The competitor that still burns bright within the master halfback was evident, too, when he was asked about his rookie understudy Cam Roigard who will make his debut on Saturday night off the bench.
“He’s had an outstanding couple of years and it’s been cool to work with him and try to learn things off him as well. He sees the game differently, he’s got amazing talent, he’s strong and fast ... it’s going to be awesome to see him impact the game.”
Asked how a 116-test veteran learns off a youngster about to dip his toe in the international waters for the first time, Smith smiled and explained.
“New guys play with their instincts a lot more. They live and play in the moment. He’s got the speed and power. You can always learn. I’m always watching other 9s and just trying to take things. Why does he do that? Why does he take that option?”
Getting better never stops. Nor, it seems, does retaining that prized trophy.
