Conrad Smith to retire
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This man deserves his own thread.
All Blacks legend Conrad Smith to hang up his boots at the end of the season
ALL BLACKS LEGEND Conrad Smith will end his playing days at the end of the season, as he considers a move into coaching and further work with International Rugby Players. The 36-year-old has been with Top 14 club Pau since 2015 but is ready to end his professional playing career at the end of this campaign. Smith is one of the All Blacks’ greatest players ever, having earned 94 caps in their midfield and helped them to World Cup successes in 2011 and 2015, as well as the 2005 Test series victory against the Lions. The former Hurricanes centre worked with the New Zealand Rugby Players Association during his time as an All Black and has been involved with International Rugby Players – who announced a move to Dublin today – in more recent times. A qualified lawyer, Smith could move into a bigger role with International Rugby Players upon retirement, but his deeply intelligent rugby brain would also be suited to coaching and it’s something he is keen to try out. “I’m going to finish up this year and I think I will spend a year or two either doing a little bit of work with International Rugby Players, but also within rugby itself and the coaching set-up and see what I like,” Smith told The42 in Dublin today. “While I was playing, it was cool that I could do it [working with the players' associations] and it was something a little bit different outside of rucks and the tactics of the game. “It’s certainly something that has interested me for a while. It stems from the fact that I just love rugby.” Smith remains a key player with Pau for now and has started 17 games for the club in the Top 14 this season, continuing to show his class in the 13 shirt outside Kiwi out-half Colin Slade. This will be his last season on the pitch, however, and his retirement is sure to be met with major tributes from New Zealand, as well as the rest of the rugby world. Smith has always been a classy presence on the pitch for Wellington, the Hurricanes, New Zealand and Pau, with his defensive intelligence matched by creative and incisive attacking play. -
Conrad Smith retired in late October 2015
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Loved him as a player. A great foil for Nonu, and a wonderful career proving skinny white guys can still thrive at the top level. Intelligent, thoughtful, funny, a top bloke and incidentally played some sensational footy.
Edit: I don' tthink this will be the last we'll see of him
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@nzzp said in Conrad Smith to retire:
Loved him as a player. A great foil for Nonu, and a wonderful career proving skinny white guys can still thrive at the top level. Intelligent, thoughtful, funny, a top bloke and incidentally played some sensational footy.
Edit: I don' tthink this will be the last we'll see of him
Conrad for PM.
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@nzzp said in Conrad Smith to retire:
Loved him as a player. A great foil for Nonu, and a wonderful career proving skinny white guys can still thrive at the top level. Intelligent, thoughtful, funny, a top bloke and incidentally played some sensational footy.
Edit: I don' tthink this will be the last we'll see of him
I remember reading one of those bullshit player profile things on the canes website and he said his ambition was to have a beer in every pub in NZ. That's brilliant, judging by some of his efforts on Courtney Place that I saw he is giving it a good nudge.
I think @Nepia said it best when describing about what made him so good in that it was really hard ie when sitting down with the Grandkids. He was just good at all he did.
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Can't say I'm surprised. Only went overseas to make some $$$ security for his family.
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I think he would have been fine money wise. Vague recollection that the family had hoped to live abroad and if you can add in a decent wage why not!
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@paekakboyz is he still able to practice Law, pretty sure they get paid well.
Awesome player, smarts, skills, in a time when players were getting bigger, stronger and faster, he was smarter and fitter!
I hope whatever he does post rugby, it is back in NZ, especially if he intends being involved in the sport going forward.
Legend.
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@taniwharugby said in Conrad Smith to retire:
@paekakboyz is he still able to practice Law, pretty sure they get paid well.
Awesome player, smarts, skills, in a time when players were getting bigger, stronger and faster, he was smarter and fitter!
I hope whatever he does post rugby, it is back in NZ, especially if he intends being involved in the sport going forward.
Legend.
He'd sail into a law firm, on the fast track, there is prestige in having an AB great as partner
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@taniwharugby said in Conrad Smith to retire:
@paekakboyz is he still able to practice Law, pretty sure they get paid well.
starting salary of lawyers: $45-50k per year.
https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/news-and-communications/news/new-zealand-law-society-and-hays-legal-salary-guide-releasedContract at Pau: $66k per MONTH.
Fark, why not take a couple fo quiet years overseas...
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@nzzp said in Conrad Smith to retire:
@taniwharugby said in Conrad Smith to retire:
@paekakboyz is he still able to practice Law, pretty sure they get paid well.
starting salary of lawyers: $45-50k per year.
https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/news-and-communications/news/new-zealand-law-society-and-hays-legal-salary-guide-releasedContract at Pau: $66k per MONTH.
Fark, why not take a couple fo quiet years overseas...
Think he'd start on just a leeettle more than $45k per year ...
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@booboo said in Conrad Smith to retire:
@nzzp said in Conrad Smith to retire:
@taniwharugby said in Conrad Smith to retire:
@paekakboyz is he still able to practice Law, pretty sure they get paid well.
starting salary of lawyers: $45-50k per year.
https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/news-and-communications/news/new-zealand-law-society-and-hays-legal-salary-guide-releasedContract at Pau: $66k per MONTH.
Fark, why not take a couple fo quiet years overseas...
Think he'd start on just a leeettle more than $45k per year ...
Nah, he needs to start on the wing and get a bit of experience before moving in
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@nzzp said in Conrad Smith to retire:
Loved him as a player. A great foil for Nonu, and a wonderful career proving skinny white guys can still thrive at the top level. Intelligent, thoughtful, funny, a top bloke and incidentally played some sensational footy.
Edit: I don' tthink this will be the last we'll see of him
As a man who earned my nickname the hard way in prem rugby, I wish I'd been as "skinny" as him.
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@booboo said in Conrad Smith to retire:
@nzzp said in Conrad Smith to retire:
@taniwharugby said in Conrad Smith to retire:
@paekakboyz is he still able to practice Law, pretty sure they get paid well.
starting salary of lawyers: $45-50k per year.
https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/news-and-communications/news/new-zealand-law-society-and-hays-legal-salary-guide-releasedContract at Pau: $66k per MONTH.
Fark, why not take a couple fo quiet years overseas...
Think he'd start on just a leeettle more than $45k per year ...
He could say he went to Harvard and then bullshit his way in from there. No one would know the difference.
Would make a great TV show although the sameness of each episode might get a bit boring by season 4.
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@bones most people would have 20kgs on you!
Some players do look bigger in RL, some don't, Conrad was as 'big' as I expected him to be.
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@taniwharugby said in Conrad Smith to retire:
@bones most people would have 20kgs on you!
Some players do look bigger in RL, some don't, Conrad was as 'big' as I expected him to be.
None of them were bigger in real life than old mate Johan Ackermann. He was like a walking barn, people were getting caught up in the slipstream behind him on Lambton Quay.
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@taniwharugby maybe not so much these days
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