The intricacies of these battles go over the heads of most followers - but it's the outcome of those mini conflicts which creates the space elsewhere that everyone can see.
This is where Smith comes into his own. He's been brought in as defensive coordinator, a portfolio he mostly held as assistant coach for the national side during 2004-11. It was also his main role with the Chiefs between 2012 and 2014 and no one can match the sophistication of his analysis and technical and tactical application of defensive structures.
Not everyone will believe that, however, because the curious thing about Smith is that he will forever be remembered as the former All Blacks head coach who suffered a crisis of confidence in 2001.
His decision to inform the NZRU board he wasn't sure he was the right man to coach the national side was universally viewed as weakness.
It's curious because the conclusion couldn't have been more wrong. Smith's uncertainty wasn't driven by self-doubt, but an uncommon selflessness that put the needs of the team ahead of personal goals. After the All Blacks had lost again in Sydney, Smith felt that the legacy - preservation of - demanded his contribution be scrutinised.
The NZRU board were caught out by Smith's position and awarding the job to John Mitchell seemed an aggressive and almost spiteful response to the country's best coach laying his soul bare and asking for nothing more than reassurance.
The history is relevant today as only the grossly ill-informed would wonder why the All Blacks have turned to Smith in World Cup year. The answer is that the All Blacks have added to their coaching staff a man whose passion for the team is unparalleled. He ultimately sacrificed himself in 2001 and yet willingly returned in 2004 as an assistant.
In late 2011, he was in the running to coach England - a job that came with a small fortune - but pulled out when the cold reality hit him that there would come a point where he would be plotting the downfall of the All Blacks in 2015.
All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen is an astute and skilled operator and it made perfect sense to him that he should create a role for Smith in World Cup year.
"He's also got a wealth of knowledge about the All Blacks and he's innovative. So we saw him as a natural fit," says Hansen.
"I also think that, because he hasn't been part of our coaching crew [since 2012], he hasn't been blinded by the trees. What I mean by that is that he can see the wood.
"He's been outside looking in and will have formed his own ideas about what we have been doing and will be able to challenge us and bring fresh thinking.
"That should being a new stimulus and get us all excited and create the opportunity to do things a bit differently in his area [defence]."
The All Blacks need rather than want to be doing things differently in defence. Following a coaching reshuffle at the end of 2013, Aussie McLean shifted to the new role of opposition analyst and Hansen took over defence.
It was an area of their game last year where they felt they could have done better. They conceded 115 points in the 2013 Rugby Championship and 164 points in 2014.
In Johannesburg and at Twickenham, they conceded soft tries - something they didn't in 2013. In the neverending quest to be better, there are relatively quick and significant defensive gains to be made by improving the accuracy and tenacity of the one-on-one tackling and focusing on holding a better line shape.
While it was manageable for Hansen to drive the defensive strategy in 2014, it wasn't ideal. In World Cup year, he wants to be dedicated to the big picture.
Smith will deliver the tiny improvements that will make the All Blacks tougher to break down.
He will find the edge they need to use their tackling as an offensive weapon to create turnover and counter-attack opportunity. And perhaps most significantly, he'll provide the squad, particularly the senior players, with the sage mind and calm demeanour that builds confidence.
Coaches now singing from same songsheet
After years of failing to find a harmonious way to meet the respective needs of the All Blacks and Super Rugby coaches in World Cup year, gold has finally been struck.
There has been tension between the All Blacks coaching group and Super Rugby franchises in each World Cup year since 1999. The former has typically been anxious about the workloads and form of key individuals while the latter have belligerently ignored requests and operated to their own agenda.
The nadir was reached in 2007 when the All Blacks coaches were granted permission to remove 22 of the best players for the first seven weeks of Super Rugby. It proved disastrous for the popularity of Super Rugby and didn't help the national team much either.
Finally it would seem a happy medium has been reached after 16 years of trying. Workloads of individuals are being managed by a sensible and not overly intrusive agreement that no likely All Black is to play more than five consecutive games.
More importantly, the All Blacks coaches have been allowed direct, hands-on behind-the-scenes access to key players during Super Rugby. Ian Foster, Mick Byrne, Mike Cron and Wayne Smith have already been working with likely All Blacks on areas of their game. These sessions will be ongoing throughout Super Rugby and All Blacks coach Steve Hansen is confident the squad to play Samoa on July 8 will assemble in good shape.
"We have had a bit of time with the players with a view to upskilling them in the season as opposed to waiting until they come into our environment," says Hansen. "What has happened in the past is that our skill sets have dropped a bit during the season. The focus this year is on being at a higher level then we were last year."
