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‘Got the talent’: Aaron Smith’s verdict on All Blacks bolter Cam Roigard
By Finn Morton
Legendary halfback Aaron Smith has praised the selection of rising star Cam Roigard in the All Blacks’ first squad of the year.
Roigard was selected as one of three halfbacks for the Rugby Championship alongside Smith and Blues No. 9 Finlay Christie.
The hype surrounding Roigard’s potential as a possible All Blacks bolter escalated at a rapid rate throughout this year’s Super Rugby Pacific campaign, but Roigard passed every test.
After cementing his place in the Hurricanes’ starting side in the absence of TJ Perenara, Roigard – at just 22 years of age – showcased an elite standard of play that’s well beyond his years.
Six-time Super Rugby champion Bryn Hall even compared the Hurricanes star to France captain Antoine Dupont. That’s high praise.
Posing a genuine threat both as a playmaker and a ballcarrier, as All Black Aaron Smith discussed, Roigard has “all the skills” needed to succeed at Test level.
“He fully deserves his opportunity,” Smith said, as reported by Newshub. “He’s had an outstanding season and probably an outstanding last couple of years.
“This year, him at halfback has been amazing with the Hurricanes, you can’t doubt any of that.
“I hope he just comes in, is himself and plays his game. He’s got the talent, he’s got all the skills.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know him, playing with him and trying to learn some tricks off him as well.”
Roigard’s point of difference is his running game. The Hurricanes scrumhalf has starred in Super Rugby Pacific on the back of some game-changing carries, and crucial tries as well.
The rising star was named in the All Blacks last weekend for the first time – getting the nod ahead of Chiefs co-captain Brad Weber and Highlanders backup Folau Fakatava.
Following a promising start to the season, Roigard told RugbyPass that he had thought about the possibility of getting called into the All Blacks.
“Purely because of the chat and all that sort of stuff, I wouldn’t be getting this interview if I wasn’t playing alright,” Roigard said.
“Thinking back, Nehe Milner-Skudder, he was a bolter as such so you do sort of start to think that maybe it is possible.
“But I think if you do get caught up in that stuff you probably change the way you play in terms of probably playing a bit selfish.”
The All Blacks begin their Rugby Championship campaign against Los Pumas in Argentina, before returning home to New Zealand where they’ll face the Springboks in Auckland.
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Latest Comments
> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
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