Despite Antoine Dupont’s exceptional skill, former All Blacks coach Wayne Smith was certain that Aaron Smith was the “number one” player in the match.
Known as “The Professor,” the 66-year-old is one of the sport’s sharpest thinkers and thought the legendary New Zealand playmaker was superior than the exceptional Frenchman.
Dupont won the title of World Rugby Player of the Year in 2021 and has remained one of the top players in the game, according to most, even surpassing his Kiwi opponent.
But in a recent TV show, Wayne Smith dismissed Dupont’s claim to the top spot, saying that Aaron was not only the finest half-back in the cycle of the last Rugby World Cup, but also the best player overall.
“Won everything.”
The nicest thing I can say about Aaron is that, when they were ranking the top 50 players in the world approximately two years ago, I ranked Aaron Smith first. In the All Blacks Game Changers series, he was described as “the most effective, game-changing, best player in the world at that time.”
“Antoine Dupont was ranked number one by everyone else. Yes, he’s a skilled player, but how many titles has he won, I asked? Although he has a number at Toulouse, how many major championships has he won with France?
“Each one has been won by Aaron Smith.”
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Former Scrum Half Smith was seen by Justin Marshall, who played for the All Blacks from 1995 to 2005, as a paradigm shifter.
Marshall claims that despite the 35-year-old’s more than 120 caps for New Zealand and his three appearances in the Rugby World Cups in 2015, 2019 and 2023, it was his style of play that set him apart.
The half-back of today
Marshall stated on The Breakdown, “I think Aaron Smith changed the game and changed the theory of how the half-back should modernize the game.”
“I was part in a phase of the game where it was really sluggish around the breakdown, where you had to be much more inventive and the five-second regulation wasn’t in effect.
“You could do it by using your own body weight or by attempting to move forward into it in order to build momentum and produce a rapid ball when it was stationary.
The five-second rule was ideal for Aaron Smith because of his style of play. to enter with the ability to see clearly, move quickly, and have pace.
“Someone like him was needed to explain to the game developers how to speed up the gameplay and how to execute it. He brought something special to that shirt that I don’t think has been matched by anyone in the current era.
