Commonwealth Games: Sevens a wild ride for Smith

Ben Smith has a whole new respect for those who ply their trade in sevens rugby.

The one-test All Black from Otago was grinning with delight at winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal yesterday, and left agog at the skill and stamina of his teammates.

"Fifteens is where I want to be but sevens is a great game, this has opened my eyes," Smith told NZPA.

"It's great to have an opportunity to have a crack at sevens and I've learned a lot off the guys who have been on the world circuit. What they go through to reach the top in the sport is pretty amazing."

Smith, 24, ended up being the most influential of the four Super rugby players selected for the Games even though his only sevens experienced was a couple of national championship tournaments in Queenstown for his province.

Zac Guildford played a limited part on the second day while Hosea Gear and Liam Messam were replaced at a crucial juncture in the final, when New Zealand were trailing 7-17 before going on to beat Australia 24-17.

Smith played the full 20 minutes of the final and admitted his lungs were heaving.

"In 15s at times you get quite a bit of rest if the ball doesn't come your way but in sevens you're continually running, you've got to cover that much space," he said.

"I really felt it in that last game. When we were trailing I was tired but we had a good team and the confidence was still there. I still felt we were right in it."

Smith said it was "massive" to own a gold medal and said his memories of New Delhi wouldn't just be of the team's on-field deeds.

He would remember the tight bonding of a five-day pre-Games camp under coach Gordon Tietjens and then the way the team had been welcomed into the athletes' village by compatriots from other sports.

"The whole Commonwealth vibe that you get through the whole New Zealand team is great at the village and I've just really enjoyed my experience.

"It's been hard though. Dubai was hotter than this and it really tested us. Everything they say about Tietj's training camps has to be true, I'd vouch for that."

Smith, whose lone test was on the wing against Italy in Milan last year, said it was unlikely he would be fit to play in Otago's national provincial championship match against Auckland on Sunday because he was "pretty battered" and had sustained a leg knock.