All Black assistant Smith refusing to underestimate Ireland

NEW ZEALAND are not exactly the ideal visitors for a team scrambling for form and confidence, but All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith is of the belief Ireland are far from the fading force their results would suggest.

Journalists from the southern hemisphere tend to view all things Irish through the prism that is Brian O’Driscoll and it was a query as to the Leinster centre’s form which prompted Smith’s more encompassing reply on Declan Kidney’s men.

“If you look at his contact skills then he is as good as ever,” said Smith of a man he labelled the world’s best midfielder. “He has got power and agility still.

“When you are starting a campaign, you are a bit rusty. We saw that with Scotland and with England. Our expectations are they will be a lot better this Saturday.”

Smith’s summation of next weekend’s opponents may fit in with the accepted talk ‘em up before knocking them down mantra beloved of all sportsmen, but his dissection of Ireland yesterday went beyond mere cliché.

The former Kiwi out-half was none too impressed with the defeat of Samoa at the Aviva last weekend, but applauded the Irish side’s never-say-die spirit against South Africa seven days before.

That same belligerence had salvaged a modicum of pride for the 2009 Grand Slam champions in New Zealand last summer when Jamie Heaslip saw red and Graham Henry’s side racked up 66 points at the Yarrow Stadium. They did so by throwing caution to the wind after the break and playing an expansive game that delivered four tries. Such abandon has been absent this month though Smith feels Ireland may well lengthen their own leash in that regard this week.

Whatever the home side’s approach in Dublin 4, it is difficult to envision anything but another away win for the in-form Kiwis. Unbeaten in 23 games against Ireland, the All Blacks have even knitted that consistency into their choice of base camp, pitching up at the Castleknock Hotel for the third time in three visits.

Change, it seems, is reserved solely for Henry’s teamsheet and the mind stretches back five years to when the tourists recorded a 45-7 win at Lansdowne Road despite fielding an entirely different 15 to that which had seen off Wales a week before.

Next year being World Cup year, the coach’s deliberations carry even greater import as New Zealand seek to end a habit of peaking midway through that four-year cycle.

“There is a lot of competition in the team and a lot of guys have been playing some real good footy lately,” said utility back Isaia Toeava yesterday. “I guess that’s good for everyone.”

Toeava is one of those tip-toeing around the fringes but the main area of interest right now resides very much at centre, where Henry faces the enviable task of choosing two from Sonny Bill Williams, Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu.

Great things have been expected of Williams since his switch from league and he gave notice of his abilities and physical power winning his second test cap last week in Murrayfield.

“He’s different to anything we have ever seen,” said Smith. “We were running in the tries off him. There are areas of his game that he needs to work on but he is willing to do that and that is what I love about him.”