Wayne Smith all but retires from first-class rugby

Press, 25 February 1986, Page 34

Wayne Smith all but retires from first-class rugby

By

Kevin McMenamin

Wayne Smith, one of the most gifted rugby players Canterbury has ever had, may have played his last game for the province — he almost certainly has for the All Blacks.

Smith, who will turn 29 in April, has stopped just short of announcing his retirement from first-class rugby. He said yesterday that he would definitely not be available for Canterbury for the first half of this coming winter, and he doubted very much whether his situation would be any different later in the season. “However, circumstances sometimes change and I am not going to say definitely that I am finished. I have no desire to be one of those players who is retired one day and playing again the next.” Smith said that so far he had not discussed the matter with the Canterbury coach, Alex Wyllie, but would be doing so. “I would not see the team stuck, but at the moment I can’t see myself back permanently in the side.” Smith’s retirement was in the wind at the end of last season, but he decided to see if his attitude changed over the summer months. “It hasn’t really,” he said yesterday. “I had had enough at the end of last season. All the training and playing, especially under the pressures of shield rugby, had got to me and I guess this was why I was ill (he had glandular fever) in Argentina. "If the shield had stayed I certainly would have retired. The years we had with it were great, but I had my fill. There

are other things, like work and family, that I have got to give more time to.” Smith is critical of the growing number of games that top players are being asked to play. "The programmes of the last few years have been tough enough, and now there is this early season South Pacific championship. It’s ridiculous and I don’t think I am alone in saying that too much is being asked of top players.” Smith said he still had an enthusiasm for rugby and he hoped to play at least two more seasons for his Belfast club. “Club rugby is something I enjoy and after all it has done for me I owe something to Belfast. And maybe on a limited basis I could get enthusiastic again about rep. rugby and this is why I am leaving a door open,” he said. Smith will play at least one more first-class game. He, along with his Canterbury and All Black partner in the five-eighths, Warwick Taylor, has been invited to play for an Overseas XV, which will have two matches in Britain in April to mark the centenary of the International Rugby Board. “I am looking forward to this trip and it has given me an extra incentive to get fit,” he said. However, while he has more than his fair share of injuries, general fitness is something that has sel-

dom bothered Smith in his years with Canterbury. He was accepted as the fitness man in the side. Smith transferred to Christchurch from Waikato in 1979 and almost immediately won Canterbury selection. He had a brilliant season that year. He became an All Black on the tour of Australia in 1980, although a badly tom hamstring forced him to come home early. A broken jaw marred his 1981 season and in 1983 he was again out of action for a long time (and came very close to. retirement) with a back injury. However, throughout these years Smith remained the first choice as first five-eighths for the All Blacks and his 17 tests in the position is three ahead of the previous record held by another Canterbury man, Doug Bruce. Smith had, in total, 35 games for New Zealand and has made 66 appearances for Canterbury. Becoming an All Black, he said, would have to have been the highlight of his career, followed closely by Canterbury’s three years with the Ranfurly Shield. “They were great years and the incredible closeness which existed within the team is something that I will always treasure,” he said. Smith’s name will always be indelibly linked to Canterbury’s recordequalling shield reign. It was his superb try that won Canterbury the

trophy in Wellington, and there were some more memorable ones in the 18 defences that he played. Early in his career the one weakness in Smith’s game was his tactical kicking. However, it was a facet which he worked hard at improving and last winter he was nearly a master of the art, particularly the high punt to the foot of the posts. In Smith’s absence, Wayne Burleigh would be favoured to be the Canterbury first five-eighths. Burleigh was a handy spare part during the shield era and filled in exceptionally well for Smith in 1983. However, Burleigh, who is 29, is of a similar mind to Smith. He intends to play club rugby for New Brighton this year, but is undecided about his availability for representative football. “I had intended to play only club rugby this year, but I have still to make a firm decision,” said Burleigh yesterday. “It is a decision I will make in the next few weeks.” However, even if Smith and Burleigh are both lost to Canterbury, Smith, for one, sees no cause for alarm. “There are some very talented young first fiveeighths about — all they need is the chance to prove themselves,” he said. But as all Canterbury fans know, finding one even approaching the class of Wayne Smith will be no easy task.