Ahead of the All Whites two games against China in Auckland and Wellington next week, we caught up with defender Tommy Smith who will potentially earn his 50th cap in the series. 

The All Whites play China on Thursday 23 March (KO 7pm) at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland and on Sunday 26 March (KO 4pm) at Sky Stadium, Wellington. 

Book tickets at ticketek.co.nz

Tommy, you can earn your 50th cap in New Zealand this month. How does it feel to reach that milestone?

Yeah, it feels like it's been a long time coming. You know, I should have reached it a long time ago really. But obviously it's a very proud moment. 

Seeing Kosta reach that landmark, I felt like I wanted to get there as well. I was buzzing for him because we've come through a lot of it together and it gave me that extra impetus to try and kick on and make it myself which is obviously a really proud moment for me and my family.


You were last able to play in New Zealand 6 years ago, how will it feel to be back?

It's a long time since I've played in New Zealand, it's a long time since I've set foot in New Zealand as well. The last time I was in New Zealand was Christmas 2018. Obviously, then COVID struck so we couldn't really travel at all, and then obviously I missed the last window back in New Zealand with injury. I'm really looking forward to first and foremost being back in the country to see my friends and family. And obviously to represent New Zealand in New Zealand is always a special occasion as well. 


Which games from the 49 that you've played so far really stand out to you?

Debut is the first one that springs to mind, in front of 90,000 Mexicans at the Rose Bowl Pasadena in LA. I hadn't turned 20 yet, and to walk out to that raucous atmosphere, I'd never experienced anything like that. And I don't think many of the other New Zealanders in the team at that time had as well. It was a special atmosphere. We got beat two nil unfortunately, but came up against some really, really good players. Blanco, who's a Mexican legend, the dos Santos brothers, Javier Hernandez, Carlos Vela, so to test yourself against them, and in your first international match, was special. It was a moment I'll never forget. 

And then obviously, the World Cup is an absolute highlight of not just my All Whites career, but my career in general. It's the absolute pinnacle of football, and to have represented my country at that level, and get the results that we got was, again, special for me and my family. Growing up as a young player, you watch the World Cup, so it's always a dream to play in one. And it wasn't until the next one that we didn't qualify for where I actually sort of sat back and thought, wow, we played there, and just how huge that was for the country. So hopefully it's not too long until we can get back to that point. 
 

The All Whites line-up ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2010 game against Slovakia | Credit: Photosport

You made your debut at 19. How much do you think you have changed in the last 13 years?

Yeah, definitely, obviously you become much more mature as both a player and a person. And life changes around you as well. I was a young kid, making my debut with no responsibilities in the world really back then. And now I'm married and a father of two children, so that's changed as well.

But no, it has been an absolutely brilliant journey. And it has taken me to places that I probably would never have been to before in terms of location, and also experiences. I'll always be thankful for the opportunities the game has presented to me.


There's a few players in the squad that you've grown up with. How has it been going on this journey with people you have known for over a decade? 

Yes, it’s brilliant, obviously. As you know, Woodsy is one of my best mates. And we spend a lot of time together or I say, a lot of time, we don't spend a lot of time together, we speak a lot. Obviously with our schedules over here, it's usually not that easy to get together. But no he's a really good mate of mine, and to share it with people that aren't just teammates, but are mates as well makes it even more special. And I've developed other friends for life through the All Whites as well. I get on really well with Boxy and we try and spend time together as well when we can. 

I've worked with Rory now from when he was a player through to the coach and obviously he's going to be assistant in this camp. So it's brilliant to see how his career has developed, post playing, and to experience it with him as well to help him on his next chapter and journey. 

It's brilliant when you play with players for so long, there's a deeper level of friendship there because of experiences you've gone through. I don't know many walks of life where you develop the bonds that you do through professional sport. It really is something special. 
 

Tommy and Chris Wood training in Bahrain | Credit: Photosport 

Now you are one of the senior players in the squad, how is it seeing the young generation of talent coming through? 

It’s fantastic to see the amount of talent that is in the group now and that also don’t make the squad. There's a lot of talented players now that miss out on squads through no fault of their own, just through the fact that we've now got a real strength in depth across the board. 

When I first started, no offense to any of the players, but you know, there were a handful of players that weren't full time professionals in the group. Take that and compare it to where we are now with how many professional players there are to pick from. The All Whites have really come on leaps and bounds. 

It shows a mark of how far we’ve come how disappointed we were not to beat Costa Rica in that Intercontinental Playoff. In the previous two cycles, you come up against Mexico and Peru, who you're underdogs against really, but we fancied ourselves in the Costa Rica game and I think that shows a mark of where we come that we were really disappointed that we didn't beat them. 

So it’s an exciting time. A lot of these players that were young for the last cycle will be coming into their prime for the next cycle. So yeah, it's going to be a really exciting journey for players, staff and fans to be a part of.

Article added: Sunday 19 March 2023