That's the traditional way to play - it's not entirely a sweeping role, it's more just following the passage of the ball.
2. What Aaron Smith does differently:
The All Blacks' strength is the ability to play at tempo and speed that other teams just can't play at. A lot of the way they're able to do that is how quickly they can move the ball from contact - from a ruck they're moving the ball on before the opposition defence has time to get organised. Aaron Smith is vital in that because I believe he's the fittest in the country and the best in the country at getting to the breakdown.
Smith doesn't follow the ball - basically he's predicting where he feels the breakdown will eventuate. The way that teams are now coached, they plan three or four phases ahead. Smith knows, because of the call given to him, what area the backs are going to.
He's not prepared to accept that they're not going to achieve that outcome, so he's taking a very aggressive line to breakdowns. By doing that, he's cutting down two-to-three seconds of transition time that it would take other halfbacks playing the more familiar role. That might not seem like a lot but, in a rugby game, that's saving him a hell of a lot of time.
The only conundrum he's faced with is if the backs do spill the ball or don't execute properly. But if that happens, he's still inside the ball. He's on the inside path as it's moving so, even though he's ahead, he can still adjust and go on a direct route back to where the ball eventuates.
3. The benefits of Smith's approach:
Since Smith's at the breakdown so quickly he's there before a lot of the loose forwards and, because of that, he's not having to deal with fringe players being disruptive.
It also means the players who are receiving the ball from the next phase aren't waiting for him. They can see him and they're on the move the whole time, instead of going from a standing start.
That's 100 per cent execution of the game plan and if all runs perfectly. As we have seen in games where the All Blacks have achieved that - Ellis Park last year or the Australian game - it's basically unstoppable. Teams can't live with that. There are instances when for whatever reason - like weather conditions, which could be the case in Napier - it doesn't work as well. But that's the ultimate way they want to play, and the way Smith plays his game suits the way the All Blacks want to play down to the ground.
Now he's got that system in place, it's also incredibly helpful to his running game. Because he's so quick to the breakdown, defenders aren't getting into a good position to deal with him when he decides to run. So now we're seeing his running game becoming a real threat in the All Blacks' attacking arsenal.
