Rugby writer Steve Hepburn looks at nine attributes of the Highlanders halfback which makes the All Black No9 one of the best.
Already gone
With a halfback it all starts with the pass. The core role. Smith has a pass most coaches would die for. Direct, fast and accurate. The key to All Black games is speed so a halfback must be able to pass the ball quickly. Smith is the best of the best at doing that. His pass is gone in a whisker, freeing up space for those outside him. He has no peer in this regard.
The long run
Johnathan Thurston was nothing to look at as a league player. Not big, overly quick or possessing a huge sidestep. But he had the heart of a champion and also had the asset of having a quick run - the ability to jog quickly. To maintain a quick pace for the whole game. Smith is like that. He has a real ability to get at a fast clip to a ruck and keep the side's continuity going. That is utterly vital in today's game. And overlooked by many.
Take it to the limit
Being substituted against the British and Irish Lions last year in the deciding third test, Smith for a rare time, looked absolutely spent. Knackered would be the term. But that does not happen often. He goes deep into the well and empties the tank for every game. An endurance which rarely seems to have an end.
Get over it
Smith can pass many ways but also has a well educated right boot. An accurate box kick which goes over the ruck and lands just in the right place for the winger and others to charge up on. A key tool in today's game.
I can't tell you why
Injuries are a part of sport. But Smith never seems to be injured. Most of his absences for the Highlanders for the past eight years have been enforced rests by the All Black management. Smith, for whatever reason - whether it be good luck or good management - just always has a clean bill of health.
Peaceful, easy feeling
Remember when John Wright and Bruce Edgar used to come to the wicket for New Zealand? You knew that would not give their wicket away easily. They were reliable. Smith is the same. He gives one a mood of assurance and calmness when he is playing - does most things right. Last test out against South Africa, Smith was right there backing up hooker Codie Taylor. Did not get in front of Taylor and then ran the right lines to score the try.
Life in the fast lane
That try against South Africa is another example of one of his key talents. He backs up well, and is a top-quality support player. He is the link man but when he sees the tryline in sight he just goes for it. And it usually ends up in the positive. Can find another gear to get across the whitewash.
One of these nights
Every team needs one. Mark Greatbatch used to be it for the Black Caps in the early 1990s while Byron Kelleher also took the lead when he was an All Black. It is the role of the chief congratulator. The one who is always the first there to give the try-scorer a high five, a hug, a handshake, a slap on the back. Smith lights the night up with
his congratulations.
Lyin' eyes
Many people say the game is now for big, strong, brutal men and women. Smith, all 1.71m and 85kg of him, makes a liar out of those thoughts and proves them wrong. He can dominate the game and show there is still room in the game for the smaller type. Smith though is strong for his size.