• Help Support The Rugby Forum :

Who's the best Scrum-half as of early 2014 ?

Aaron Smith

I know it's a little late for this post, but if something was learned in 2014 is that Aaron Smith is miles ahead of TJ Perenara. Quickness-wise, no point in comparing. Smith is faster with his hands and passes better. He is also mentally faster and knows when to cut himself loose and go forward. But it is the kicking that really stands out. When he gets the ball out of a scrum or line, Aaron Smith throws a low toss and kicks with his leg held high, all in a fraction of a second. TJ tosses the ball high and waits till it gets down to kick it, a looong time in which he has the opposing flanker almost all over him. In fact, I am not at all convinced TJ is a good second option, based on what he has done in the Autumm window 2014.
One good thing is these two CAN be compared since they ride the same AB rig.
 
I know it's a little late for this post, but if something was learned in 2014 is that Aaron Smith is miles ahead of TJ Perenara. Quickness-wise, no point in comparing. Smith is faster with his hands and passes better. He is also mentally faster and knows when to cut himself loose and go forward. But it is the kicking that really stands out. When he gets the ball out of a scrum or line, Aaron Smith throws a low toss and kicks with his leg held high, all in a fraction of a second. TJ tosses the ball high and waits till it gets down to kick it, a looong time in which he has the opposing flanker almost all over him. In fact, I am not at all convinced TJ is a good second option, based on what he has done in the Autumm window 2014.
One good thing is these two CAN be compared since they ride the same AB rig.

Although I don't think anyone would suggest your conclusion is incorrect, I think it's worth considering that Smith has been playing almost 80 minutes every week at international level for the last three years. Perenara (and almost all other halfbacks) have not had anywhere near that level of exposure.

It's also worth considering that Smith's style is very much suited to the All Blacks' game plan. Would he necessarily be equally as effective for Scotland, or Wales? Would a different style - such as Perenara's - be more useful when you haven't got a dominant pack or backline?
 
I just want Perenara to become as good as I thought he would, because there was a time when I thought he would quickly surpass Aaron Smith as the best halfback in the country. :closedeyes:

As for best in the world... I don't know, but I've liked what I've seen of Connor Murray for Ireland and Munster.
 
Murray for me at the moment, his improvement over the last 15 months has been unnatural, he went from a reserve Lion who was there for lack of other options to the best kicking and defensive 9 in rugby. He doesn't have any glaring weaknesses either.
 
Nobody mentionned Tilous Borde ? He's very underrated ! He's done a huge season with Toulon and played pretty well during these november tests.

At the begining of 2014 I would also have said Care.
 
Murray for me at the moment, his improvement over the last 15 months has been unnatural, he went from a reserve Lion who was there for lack of other options to the best kicking and defensive 9 in rugby. He doesn't have any glaring weaknesses either.
Unless you call being incredibly handsome as a weakness.
 
when he is playing, Morgan Parra. For his good looks, Morgan Parra.
 
@Groundhog Maybe his random grey patch?

I reckon its the source of his power, think about it hes matured ridiculously quickly in the last year or so, wheres all that maturity gone? That grey patch.

On topics its Smith then Murray for me, I just like the zip in Smiths pass a bit more than Murray's kicking.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I can hardly distinguish the performance of Aaron Smith regarding the oiled machinery of the All Blacks. I did not see much to the Highlanders to establish the incidence of ABs factor. Moreover, I really always liked the style of Will Genia though was not a good year even before the injury in the SR.
Ok. Aaron Smith ("man is he and his circumstances" "El hombre es él y sus circunstancias" - Ortega y Gasset)
 
Care has easily stood out amongst the NH teams at the start of the 6N. He's so far ahead of any other NH scrum-half based on those showings, you may as well not even consider them. I'm surprised you discarded him out-of-hand.

Last 6N I would have said he was a contender but his form recently has been poor.
 
woooooh major bump. Can't believe this is from 2014, feels like I made this a year ago. It was definitely really really tough to know back then. Right now I'd still say Aaron Smith, although again I'm not as convinced as just some time ago. Scrumhalves today just don't have that inventivity in them anymore, they have to play a super rigid and quick style. Fabien Galthié, his type is all too rare today, although of course that's because of the way the game is played, but still.
 
Webb's been good, and Smith for NZ is good (but more a functional 9 than a game breaker). Phipps is playing well but I'd still select Murray - he's been the best 9 this Autumn Internationals series imho.
 
Webb's been good, and Smith for NZ is good (but more a functional 9 than a game breaker). Phipps is playing well but I'd still select Murray - he's been the best 9 this Autumn Internationals series imho.
Yep, my comment months ago about Care being far ahead of Murray look quite out of place. Will have to go back and fix that. Big Brother is here.
 

Latest posts

Top