Aaron Luke Smith (born 21 November 1988) is a rugby union player who plays for New Zealand – the All Blacks – in international rugby. He plays at half-back for the Highlanders in Super Rugby, and for Manawatu in the ITM Cup. Smith played for the M?ori All Blacks in 2010, and was first selected for the All Blacks in 2012.
Smith made his debut for Manawatu in the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup at the age of 19, making several substitute appearances for the Turbos. This included the historic 25–24 win over Canterbury in Round 1 and the 38–38 draw with Waikato in Round 3. Smith and fellow debutante Aaron Cruden on both of these occasions were substituted on together showing their potential by pulling back big deficits through their brilliance. They would become one of the best 9–10 combinations in the competition for the next four years and were later selected together for the All Blacks in 2012.[citation needed]
For the 2009 Air New Zealand Cup, Smith established himself as the fist-choice half-back for Manawatu, starting all 13 games over the course of the season and scoring his first representative try. He continued as the starter in the 2010 ITM Cup, and established himself as one of the top half-backs in the competition and earning a Super Rugby contract.[citation needed]