All Blacks have last hit-out for exiting coach

All Black assistant coach Wayne Smith. Photo / Getty Images

At some stage there will be sacks of emotion for Wayne Smith when his international coaching career reaches a full-stop after the Rugby World Cup final.

It might be in the coaches box, down on the field, perhaps in the sanctity of the changing room at Eden Park. But there will be some issue, some thought, some action which will trip Smith's sporting passions.

It is the last hurrah for Smith, one which coincides with the All Blacks' tilt at the Webb Ellis Cup.

"It sunk in a while ago, whatever was going to happen this is my last week," he said.

"It was a pretty special feeling in the box with about five minutes to go, knowing that it was going to go another week."

Smith has invested heavily in the All Blacks since he began as an assistant in 1998. He'd had a career as a test five-eighths before he moved into rugby administration then switched to coaching with Canterbury and the Crusaders.

Smith graduated to All Black coach in 2000 but, after a clutch of issues, left in late 2001 and took his skills to Northampton before returning in 2004 to hitch his talents to those of Graham Henry and Steve Hansen.

However Sunday will be a full-stop, the end of a 139-test association with the All Blacks. Not the end of his rugby affiliation though, far from it.

Several All Blacks - Mils Muliaina, Brad Thorn and John Afoa - are heading offshore but Smith is throwing his skills behind the Chiefs in next year's Super 15 series.

All of the current All Black squad, except Richie McCaw, Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu, Andrew Hore, Ali Williams and Thorn have only known the coaching methods of the All Black triumvirate of Henry, Hansen and Smith.

One of those rugby students only used to Smith's tutelage is his namesake Conrad Smith. He would leave his gratitude for his coach's ears but the centre liked the way his coach provoked, stimulated and developed his game.

One team, the coach said, was going to leave Eden Park as World Cup winners on Sunday and Smith said he and the All Blacks wanted to embrace that opportunity.

France had delivered several World Cup stings that he and the team endured in 1999 and 2007, years in which France had also toured New Zealand and been flogged.

"They have got a history of turning results on their head and I think that helps us because there will certainly be no complacency this week and everyone in our camp knows what it is going to be like and how tough it is going to be," Smith said.

Les Tricolors had ability throughout their side and some strong attacking structures.

"It is pretty similar to the challenge last week from Australia, you have just got to prepare for everything."

The former five-eighths was impressed at the way the All Blacks' new backline director, Aaron Cruden, had worked on his game, especially his tactical kicking prowess, since he was left out of last year's trip to Europe.

He had been able to dominate matches with his boot and All Black test five-eighths needed that skill. His courage had never been in doubt after his fight with cancer and "he is a pretty special kid I think", Smith added.

He'd had many years with the All Blacks and would not swap any of those times. They had been the greatest days of his working life but every coach had to move on and now was that occasion.

"It's felt right for a while and I'll get my fix elsewhere," Smith said.