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Highlanders and All Black fullback Ben Smith may have played his last game for the Highlanders.
Smith has been ruled out for six to eight weeks with a high hamstring injury.
Smith (32) picked up the injury in the last 10 minutes of the side's draw with the Chiefs on Saturday night.
Highlanders assistant coach Glenn Delaney confirmed Smith was out for this period and said it was a blow to Smith and the Highlanders team. The side would look to play Matt Faddes or Josh McKay at fullback.
The team has five games left in the regular season and with the final game of the season before the playoffs set for June 14, it may be touch and go whether Smith gets back for the Highlanders. The team is seventh in the Super Rugby standings and is in with a chance of making the playoffs.
He was forced off the field after the injury on Saturday night and there were initial fears it was a serious knee injury but it turned out to be his hamstring.
Smith, who has played more than 150 games for the Highlanders, is playing his final season with the Highlanders before heading to France after the World Cup to play for Pau.
An injured Ben Smith of the Highlanders is observed during the Super Rugby match between the Highlanders and the Chiefs. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Here's what Herald rugby writer Gregor Paul said about Ben Smith on April 9, 2019:
Several things have become apparent, or been confirmed in the last few months as a result of the way Smith has played.
The first is that while Brodie Retallick features high on most people's list of players the All Blacks can't afford to be without at the World Cup, Smith should probably sit above him.
If Smith is somehow forced out of the World Cup it will be a bigger blow than the All Blacks losing Carter during the 2011 tournament.
The second point is that while the All Blacks have been ambivalent in previous seasons about whether to pick Smith at fullback or on the wing, the evidence is stacking up to say it's imperative they commit to using him exclusively in the former role.
Through a combination of tactics the All Blacks will most likely face and the lack of consistency shown by the alternatives who have worn No 15 since 2017, Smith needs to be at fullback throughout the World Cup.
This World Cup is going to be dominated by contestable kick strategies. The box kick from halfback is the go-to play of both England and Ireland. Wales have also built most of their attacking ploys around their kicking game and South Africa haven't yet been at a World Cup where they didn't kick first run second.
For the All Blacks to win their third title, they will not only have to be immaculate in the air – catching everything, but they will also need to be able to spark something on the counter attack when the half chance to do some comes their way.
Smith is the best in the business at competing for high balls and he's able to be more effective defensively in that regard when he wears 15 and can cover both sides of the field.
With him at fullback, incessantly kicking to the All Blacks may not make sense.
He's also equipped with that intuitive feel for when the counter attack is on and as he's shown for almost a decade, he has the ability to get past that first defender and by doing so, create all sorts of attacking possibilities.
If there is an early prediction to be made about Japan – it is that the All Blacks will be more effective at punishing teams who are a fraction off in their kicking accuracy if they pick Smith at fullback.
The thing to ponder is what if Smith is injured? What if he is ruled out of the World Cup? Will the All Blacks pose the same threat? Will they be so secure under the high ball and so well equipped to counter attack?
The answer to that is resounding no. Damian McKenzie is many things, but rock solid under the high ball is not one of them.
Jordie Barrett, like McKenzie, has good qualities but he's not in Smith's class an an international fullback.
Neither has the same composure or range of skills and vision and the All Blacks back three won't have the same balance or potency if Smith is either injured or fielded on the right wing.
And that is the final point to be made about Smith – the next generation are not ready to surpass him just yet and probably wouldn't be next year or even in 2021 either.
