Stu Smith the star performer

No prizes for guessing who has been the standout player as Wairarapa-Bush has progressed through to the semi-finals of the NPC third division rugby competition this season.
The huge workrate of Eketahuna lock Stu Smith has seen him grab the headlines in game after game.
Not only has he shone in his specialist job of lineout forward but he has grafted tigerishly in the rucks and mauls, made numerous charging runs with ball in hand and made more tackles than you'd ever expect a middle rower to make.
Smith, who first played for Wairarapa-Bush in 2000 and is closing fast on his 50 th game for the union, is quick to brush off praise for his own efforts.
While obviously pleased with the way he has been playing he is quick to emphasise that rugby is a team game and that he can't do his work properly without the help of his teammates.
"The forwards have to operate as a unit and generally we've managed to do that pretty well," Smith said. "You can't do a lot on your own."
Smith has huge respect for current Wairarapa-Bush captain and No.8 Mike Robinson, who will play his 50 th match for the union in the third division semi-final against Mid-Canterbury at Memorial Park this coming Saturday.
He admires Robinson's "no holds barred" approach and the manner in which he can get the best out of his fellow players.
"Robbo is a great leader??..he doesn't expect you to do anything he wouldn't do," Smith said. "He sets a good example to follow."
As one of the more senior players in the pack ?even though he is just 24yrs of age- Smith believes he too has the responsibility of leading from the front.
"If I can get the tight five cranked up then it's got to be a big help for the team as a whole," he said. "I keep hammering away at them and the way they've responded has been brilliant..We have some very promising players there."
Smith agrees with coach Peter Russell's sentiments that last Saturday's win over Mid-Canterbury at Ashburton in the last of the preliminary round games will count for nothing when they meet again in the semis.
"It's back to square one for both teams, and we won't be taking anything for granted," he said. "Both teams will be putting everything on the line, won't they?"
Smith does confess to a "quiet" confidence though that the Wairarapa-Bush forwards are capable of having the measure of the Mid-Canterbury pack.
But in the same breath he notes that some of his team's lineout play was "pretty shoddy" in the Ashburton game and that improvement will be required in that department.
"I think we got a bit over anxious at times and things didn't go quite as well as they should have," he said. "But's it's not a major???we can put it right."
Smith also beleives the Wairarapa-Bush backs are capable of having a big say in the semi-final.
"We have backs who can score tries from anywhere?..if they click it could be quite exciting," he said.
As to his own future in the game Smith says he would like nothing better than to be a professional rugby player and that is his long term objective
But on a shorter term he is hoping to be considered for a tour of Fiji by the New Zealand divisional team , which is selected from players competing at second and third doivision level.
On the form he has shown this season so far serious questions will need to be raised if the name of Stu Smith isn't one of the first chosen in that side.