Smith surviving the Blacklist

IF there is one thing more difficult than becoming an All Black, it is staying an All Black. No-one knows that better right now than Conrad Smith.

Like Keith Earls last Saturday, Smith scored a try with his first touch on his international debut, against Italy, in Rome in 2004 but progress ground almost to a halt for much of the next three and a half years.

Injuries, including a broken leg, didn’t help. Neither did the presence of guys like Tana Umaga, Aaron Mauger, Luke McAlister and Mils Muliaina standing ahead of him in the queue for starting slots in the midfield.