Conrad Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Conrad Smith | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Conrad Gerard Smith | ||
| Date of birth | December 10 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Hawera, Taranaki | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Weight | 95 kg (14 st 13 lb) | ||
| Nickname | Snakey | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Centre | ||
| All Black No. | 1044 | ||
| Clubs | |||
| 2001– | Old Boys University | ||
| Provincial/State sides | Caps | (points) | |
| 2003– |  Wellington |
38 | (55) |
| Super Rugby | |||
| 2003– | Hurricanes |
21 | (5) |
| National team(s) | |||
| 2004– | New Zealand |
12 | (30) |
Conrad Gerard Smith (born 12 October 1981 in Hawera, New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. He is a midfield back and plays outside centre (13). He had been in many Taranaki age group teams. He moved to Wellington where he completed a law degree at Victoria University of Wellington. Smith has also been admitted to the bar.
He plays for the Hurricanes in the Super 14 and for Wellington in the Air New Zealand Cup. He was named captain of the Hurricanes for the 2007 Super 14 campaign as regular captain Rodney So'oialo was rested ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
Smith attended Francis Douglas Memorial College. He made his All Black debut age 22, versus Italy in 2004. In the 8 tests he has played he has scored a total of 15 test points (3 tries). He plays for Old Boys University in the Wellington premier competition.
His father Trevor played as a second five-eighths for Taranaki in the 1970s. Known as "Zeke", he was the "Jeff Wilson of the 'Naki" for a time, as equally adept at cricket, smacking one of highest scores Pukekura "Puk" Park had ever seen until the Arjuna Ranatunga turned up at the cricket world cup in 1992.
His older brother Nathan played a solitary game for Taranaki at the start of the 2000s. His other brother Heath was an exceptional cricketer and a handy soccer player.
Smith suffered breaks to two bones in his leg during a Super 14 match for the Hurricanes against the Force at New Plymouth on 18 February 2006 [1], sparking vociferous national debate as to the All Black centres combination for the 2006 international season. Smith returned to action during the Air New Zealand Cup later that year.
Smith's elusive running, die-hard tackling, deceptive turn of pace, as well as his guile and accuracy in his distribution, make him very handy at centre to provide a link between the inside backs and the "Three-Quarters" (11, 14, 15).
In 2007, Smith has faced a number of setbacks marring his return to the All Black jersey. His Super 14 season was patchy while struggling with a series of niggling injuries - most significantly hamstring problems. Because of his inability for selection early in the test rugby season, he missed 5 of 7 tests leading up to the World Cup. This opened the doorway for the in-form young centre Isaia Toeava to blood himself as a solid All Black centre option. He made it to Rugby World Cup 2007, but still niggling injuries prevailed, and although fit, he was not selected by coach Graham Henry for the ill-fated quarter-final.
[edit] References
- ^ Surgery for Smith. hurricanes.co.nz. Retrieved on 22 July 2006.
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
