Our best All Blacks centre pairing ever?

BY MARC HINTON

OPINION: They are chalk and cheese these two. Yin and yang. Ebony and ivory. As rugby players and personalities Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu couldn't be any different if they tried, but together in the All Blacks midfield their fusion is an increasingly beautiful thing.

The growing evidence is that these opposites not only attract, but they form a hell of a tandem. Maybe one that's now, finally, deserving of being rated among the best to have worn the black jersey.

Surely these two Wellington wonders are at least in that conversation after a test season – their third as the established midfield combination – in which they've become better and better. Frank Bunce and Walter Little, Joe Stanley and Warwick Taylor, Bruce Robertson and Bill Osborne, Aaron Mauger and Tana Umaga, Bill Davis and Ian MacRae – and now Smith and Nonu.

As the Tri-Nations campaign draws to a close, with just the All Blacks' third Bledisloe in Sydney (September 11) to go, and a 10th title already tucked away, there have been any number of reasons to reflect with deep satisfaction around Graham Henry's all-conquering side.

Richie McCaw has completed his reinvention as the best No 7 in the game, and sits astride test rugby as its premier performer.

But there's more. Kieran Read has emerged as the world-class No 8 the team needed, Keven Mealamu has been invigorated by his uninterrupted run at hooker, the Franks brothers have been unearthed as the gems we suspected they might be, Mils Muliaina has found a yard of pace, Cory Jane has continued his dramatic progress on the wing and youngster Israel Dagg has become an impact man of staggering dimensions.

We could go on. Brad Thorn, Tom Donnelly, Piri Weepu, they've all been superb. Even old Joe Rokocoko has rediscovered something approaching his A game.

But in many ways the coming of age of the Smith-Nonu combination in midfield has been one of the most satisfying aspects of all. They are now delivering consistently influential performances as a tandem, clearly the best centre pairing in test rugby.

Nonu, of course, has been the big mover, taking the meteoric qualities which he has always had and finding the formula that is enabling him to deliver quality performances on a regular basis. He remains a fabulous line-breaker – as evidenced by his shoeless shuffle in Soweto – but is now a resolute defender and a fine distributor. His decision-making has improved out of sight and that long, flat pass he has off either hand is opening up a world of opportunity for the speed merchants outside.

Then there's Smith. He's always been a consistent sort, a guy you could rely on to put in a high work rate, low-error type performance on a regular basis.

But now he has taken that to a new level, finding holes with his running game, making big plays at the breakdown, always being in the right position to make tackles and even popping up to finish movements with four tries in his seven tests this year.

More so, as a combination they're nearly faultless. They feed off each other on attack as you would expect from a duo who have played together as much as they have. They are also very well organised defensively and their decision making – when to straighten, when to shift it – is outstanding.

They are at their best when things open up off turnover, as they did for Nonu so splendidly in Soweto.

Bunce, one half of arguably the best midfield the All Blacks have had, cites their complementary characteristics as crucial to their combination.

"You can't get anywhere if both individuals offer the same thing," says the great centre from the 90s. "These guys are totally different, almost at extremes really.

"I've always admired the way Smith played but I wasn't convinced he had that something extra. But the more I watch him, the more I appreciate what he does, how much tidying up he does, his defensive work, his lack of mistakes – and he does break the line. With him you know what you're going to get, and it's always a high-quality, low-error performance. You need your stars, your linebreakers, but you need your Conrad Smiths as well."

And Bunce notes the "maturing" of Nonu into a complete No12. "He's still got all the linebreaking, the explosiveness, but he's getting a lot more consistent now. And he's got strings to his bow. That last pass [to Dagg in Soweto], how often in the past would he have stepped and tried to have a go."

Former All Blacks captain Stu Wilson – who played outside the great tandem of Robertson and Osborne, says there's no doubt Smith and Nonu now belong in the same conversation with the elite pairings.

"Nonu defies everyone in this country who two or three years ago said he can't catch, can't pass and can't kick. I remember when they said the same about Tana Umaga and look how good he became. Nonu can kick, and that pass to Dagg was just normal for him. He distributes well now, and he unloads in the tackle. They complement each other so well, and that's the reason they're gelling as a combination."

And Wilson says the "heady" Smith is the ideal foil for Nonu's high-risk, high-reward game. "He makes very few errors and his judgement is so good. It's that crucial 50-50 decision, do I pass, kick or run? Do I take it up? He very rarely makes the wrong decision. His 50-50 calls become the right decisions and that's why he so good."

Grant Fox, who had Taylor and Stanley outside him in the 1987 World Cup-winning All Blacks, agrees that Smith and Nonu now measure up with the best.

Nonu's maturity, says Fox, has been crucial. "He has continued to grow his skill set but the biggest stride he's made is mental. He now fronts game after game and has developed into a very consistent player. He's always had linebreaking skill, but his defence and passing game now is superb.

"Smith has always been the guy you know what you're going to get week after week. It's interesting that people talk about how important Smith is to Nonu, but I think Smith plays better with Nonu because of the threat Nonu is. They go hand in glove now, and are equally important to each other."

Bunce perhaps makes the key point when he says he's reserving his final judgement on the incumbent midfielders.

"I don't think they're there yet, but that's probably just a little bit more time. All you want is consistency of performance. It's all in their hands, and that's the good thing about it."

Or, as Fox notes: "Absolute confirmation will come with that silverware at the end of next year."

It's the final peak for a pair which looks up to the challenge.

The five best All Black centre pairings (post- war).

Frank Bunce and Walter Little: Best mates and played together for North Harbour, the Chiefs and All Blacks. Complemented each other perfectly, with Little's subtlety and Bunce's sledgehammer a one-two punch of perfection.

Bruce Robertson and Bill Osborne: The prince of centres and his hard-hitting mate from Wanganui hit their peak in the 1977 series against the Lions. Probably didn't play enough together for most people's liking.

Joe Stanley and Warwick Taylor: A couple of honest performers who played well together and critics believe were under-rated components of the great '87 Rugby World Cup winners.

Tana Umaga and Aaron Mauger: Another pairing with complementary skill sets. Mauger was the distributor and Umaga the linebreaker.

Bill Davis and Ian MacRae: Probably played their best rugby together for Hawke's Bay, but the premier pairing of the '60s.

And knocking on the door - Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu: Have come of age in 2010 and look destined to be the Rugby World Cup pairing of 2011. That looms as their defining moment.

- © Fairfax NZ News