The sharp-passing Smith is the beating heart of the All Blacks and been in sensational form for the Highlanders. He is one of the best players in the world, although Springbok Faf de Klerk is probably the best halfback in the game.
Smith is New Zealand's best halfback by a long way.
And there's no way you could put him on the bench in a genuine match without someone at least having a serious debate about it.
But the rugby PR machine was so keen to promote the North v South match it forgot what really drives sport - genuine arguments and controversy which engage the audience rather than preaching to it.
About all we got was how wonderful the North v South tradition was, even though the game was scrapped many years ago with virtually no protest.
All I wanted to know is why Aaron Smith was on the North Island bench. Seriously.
The controversy should have still been raging today if people really cared about the game.
"Not a bad swap out," is how commentator Tony Johnson put it, when Smith appeared for TJ Perenara at halftime.
Not a bad swap out? No, it was a totally baffling selection which cost the North Island its best chance of victory.
It also cut down the time players like Beauden Barrett had to dominate the game, on the back of Smith's service.
Aaron Smith of the All Blacks gestures to the crowd following the Rugby World Cup 2019 Semi-Final match between England and New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images.
The Smith benching was either done for mysterious big-picture All Black purposes, or the selectors stuffed up big time. Either way, it deserved more than total silence.
As far as I can find, no one even attempted to explain it.
I would contend that if Smith had been on from the outset, and played his usual 70 minutes or so, the North Island would have won. He was superb in the second half.
At best, the more hesitant Perenara is a distant second in the No. 9 jersey.
If New Zealand rugby wants to make North v South a permanent fixture to match rugby league's State of Origin, then maybe it needs to take the game out of the All Black sphere.
One of the interesting facets around State of Origin is that the selections have often been at odds with how the Kangaroo selectors see things.
There are about a dozen Kangaroos who never played State of Origin, and others with plenty of tests who were hardly sighted in State of O.
A real North v South game could give New Zealand rugby a chance to free itself from the All Black cloak, rather than running it like another branch office of Rugby HQ.
It could actually be a liberating experience, where independent thought flourishes.
But whoever the selectors were, they shouldn't be selectors if they thought Aaron Smith was best placed on the bench.
