Highlanders halfback Aaron Smith expects All Blacks coaching hopeful Jamie Joseph would bring the same level of intensity to the job that proved successful as a Super Rugby coach.
Joseph, 53, is one of two leading candidates for the post-World Cup gig, alongside frontrunner and Crusaders coach Scott Robertson.
The former All Blacks flanker coached the Highlanders to their only Super Rugby title in 2015 and led the southerners to three straight playoff appearances.
Joseph took over from Eddie Jones as Japan's coach in 2016 and inspired the 'Brave Blossoms' to a historic fifth-placed finish at the 2019 World Cup, with victories over Ireland and Scotland.
Righthand man and assistant Tony Brown is expected to follow Joseph as part of his backroom staff, should he be appointed All Blacks coach.
Smith played alongside Brown in his debut Super Rugby season and was coached by his former teammate in 2021.
He believes the pair would strike a balance between a tough and exciting brand of rugby, as they have wherever else they've coached.
"I think they'd just bring the same that they do to every team they're with," said Smith. "Jamie's a very strong leader and Browny is very innovative.
"They have high expectations of the teams that they put together. They pick certain players to play a type of rugby and they would do the same for any role they've been picked for.
"They're very innovative in how they look at the game. Jamie is very tough on getting his forwards to a place and sets up an environment for that.
"Browny is famous for his innovation on attack and everyone being on the same page."
For now, Smith's focus is firmly on helping the bottom-of-the-table Highlanders find their first win of the Super Rugby Pacific season. After three straight losses in as many rounds, they host in-form Australian team Western Force on Sunday.
The Force have won two of three opening games, but have yet to play on the road, with their trip to Invercargill their first of the season.
Despite their winless form, Smith believes the defeats against the competition's best can lay the platform for a turnaround in fortune for the Highlanders.
"We've played three really good teams and we've learned lessons the hard way, which has been quite hard," he said.
"In the first game, we didn't respect the ball and the Blues pounced on all those mistakes. We played a very good Crusaders team, who we played really well against for 25 minutes, but they were then able to get ascendancy and put us away.
"We're learning the hard way, but one positive from the Chiefs game was the scoreline at halftime was tight, which was a big focus for us. Our big focus is trying to stack moments and trust our game, and we've had three weeks of those lessons and that pain from that.
"We're under no illusion we're bottom of the table and it's a place we don't want to be, but that's our current reality, that's the situation we're in. Those three games are gone as well, so we're really excited about what the next month holds for us and looking to climb the table, going one game at a time."
Join Newshub at 3:35pm Sunday for live updates of the Highlanders v Force Super Rugby Pacific clash
