My World Cup XV - Fullback

In which the blogger picks the team he wants to represent the All Blacks when they choke, er, compete in the Rugby World Cup in September-October.

15 - Ben Smith

Local bias already!

Yes, I happen to live in the same city as Highlanders fullback Ben Smith.

Yes, I saw him play at school (well, I think I remember him at King's), and for his Green Island club, and for the Otago sevens team, and for Otago.

Yes, I am unashamed to admit I am a fan of the kid.

But he gets his place in my World Cup XV on merit. He's a bloody good player and his form dictates he must be picked. And more, that he must start.

We have a running joke in the ODT sports department. The doyen of club rugby, Alistair McMurran, has a habit of picking out a promising player in the Dunedin premier ranks and predicting they are good enough for the All Blacks. He liked a young Ben Smith so much he wrote a profile comparing him to Stephen Larkham (Smith wore headgear and was a first five at the time) and said if Smith was an Australian, he would be known as Ben Larkham-Smith and would already be in a Wallabies squad.

Looks like the bearded master might have been on to something.

I became convinced Smith was something special when I covered the national sevens one year in Queenstown. The fastest, most exciting athletes were in Auckland and Counties and North Harbour and Wellington.

But Otago had this skinny white boy who looked like John Leslie and ran like Christian Cullen. A Joe Average name with Joe Millionaire skills.

Smith joined the other Ben Smith - later, famously, to play a couple of seasons as Billy Elusiv - in the Otago NPC team and duly graduated to the Highlanders. With Israel Dagg drafted south and locking up the fullback jersey, Smith was placed on the wing, and looked right at home.

In 2009, the Highlanders were pretty rubbish but Smith was superb, and Otago was really rubbish but Smith was excellent, leading to his first (and, so far, only) call-up to the All Blacks.

He went on the end-of-year tour, playing one test (against Italy) and one tour match (against the Barbarians).

Smith did not exactly make a fantastic debut but it's not like he failed dismally. Oh no, he dropped the first ball kicked to him. Oh dear, he's the worst All Black since Shayne Philpott.

That one mistake contributed to the ludicrous inclusion of Smith in a "Worst XV of the Henry Era" feature (by a man who, by his own admission, doesn't watch the Highlanders or Otago), and a theme of "Smith blew his opportunity" has been built into every story on him since.

Now, with Smith in sublime form for the resurgent - er, that word seemed appropriate a couple of weeks ago - Highlanders, the media is feeling the love for our boy.

But would he really be a bolter for the World Cup squad? No, he wouldn't.

He runs with pace and grace, he can kick (for goal, for touch and for position), he's intelligent, he's a superb support player and he is defensively sound.

Mils Muliaina is the popular (and, let's face it, the coaches') pick to play fullback at the World Cup. Love Mils. He's a great player with fine all-round skills. But I wonder if his time has passed.