Sir Wayne Smith knighted by New Zealand

NEWS: Sir Wayne Smith received a knighthood for services to rugby in New Zealand’s annual King’s Birthday honours.

Smith is considered an All Black tactical genius and has helped engineer two Rugby World Cup triumphs by helping coach them to victory at the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

He is one of two coaches (Steve Hansen being the other) to win two back-to-back Rugby World Cups. He helped the Chiefs to win the 2012 Super Rugby title and 2013 Super Rugby title.

His knighthood is a phenomenal milestone from the game he loves and still analyses with enthusiastic detail.

Smith took over as coach of the New Zealand women’s team just before last year’s home World Cup, following a series of defeats on a tour to Europe.

The team was not expected to win the tournament but became champions after ending England’s world-record winning streak in the final.

“(The World Cup) was a hell of an adventure,” Smith told the New Zealand Herald on Monday.

“I had no idea when I entered it how fulfilling it would be – not just the rugby but the way the women were, the connection with community, the goodness in them and joy they had for playing.

“Those are things I’ll never forget.”