Look out Argentina, Aaron Smith looks set to have the match of his life for the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup semifinal.
Smith, who has been named at halfback for the All Blacks clash with Argentina in Paris on Saturday (NZ time), had an uncharacteristically slow start against Ireland, and was later given a questionable yellow card for a deliberate knock-on just shy of halftime.
Despite the start, Smith was one of the better players on the field in the quarter-final but he says the poor start ignited a fire in his belly to be better against Los Pumas.
“Going into this game, I really want to start better. My execution was off for a good chunk of that game [against Ireland] and I cost our team dearly with a yellow card and my first two passes found no one,” he said.
“Personally, I’m just trying to make sure I can execute my role for the team. In the second half, I was able to do that, do my job, trust my instincts, and play. So, using the energy and lessons from four years ago, and just making sure I’m in a position to execute my role as best as I can.”
