Former All Blacks and Black Ferns coach Wayne Smith doubts friends will start calling him 'sir' because of his knighthood.

On Monday, Sir Wayne received the title in the King's Birthday Honours list, joining Sir Graham Henry and Sir Steve Hansen as rugby knights.

"I don't think I'll get called Sir Wayne personally, people will just keep calling me Smithy," he tells RNZ's Anna Thomas.

When he got the letter, it lingered on his mind whether to accept it or not, but then he remembered it was also about the sacrifices his family made.

"Trish [his wife] and I have been together for 43 years, she reckons I've only been here for 20 of them," he joked.

"Coaching isn't an easy game, you're never really on top of everything and you go through some difficult times and it's your family that suffer the most - through media, through criticism, through poor results - they have to put up with it. You, as a coach, sort of get over it quickly and get on to the next game."

While it was a privilege to receive the knighthood, he was thinking of his mother and sister too, as they saw him grow up playing the game since the age of 6.

Wayne Smith with the Rugby World Cup winners trophy. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz

"My mum is 92 ... she supported me my whole life.

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"It makes them proud and I think it's great for Mum to see that I get this award.

"I see it as a huge honour but also I feel a lot of gratitude, because rugby is a team game, you can't achieve anything yourself, so you're so reliant on other people, on players, your coaches, your staff, the support you get from your family."

Over his career, Sir Wayne has been involved in 174 All Blacks Tests, of which he won 143, and more than 200 games.

His love for rugby started from his childhood, when the sport was a stronghold.

"It was the only game in town really. I learnt how to play rugby through the backyard rugby bullrush, down at the local field. I was a wee little fellow when I started, used to get beaten up and then I as I grew older I got better at it.

"It's just always been in my blood, in my family's blood. Dad passed away eight years ago but he was a great driver of my junior career and then followed religiously when I went down Canterbury and played for Canterbury and played for the All Blacks.

"It's been a huge part of our life, of our family life. Til the day I die, I'll be following the game and enjoying it."

Playing rugby was a great joy but he got to a point where he could not play anymore but still wanted to be part of the team - so he switched to coaching.

"I never ever imagined that the game would go professional and we would end up with careers in the game as coaches, but here we are.

"It [coaching] doesn't really replace playing. I always say to players keep going as long as you can because they're the best days of your life."

He has become the only coach to win three Rugby World Cups - as assistant coach in 2011 and 2015 with the All Blacks, and in 2022 as head coach with the Black Ferns.

In the 2012, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to rugby.

Sir Wayne remembered the difficult four years leading up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup after the disastrous loss in 2007.

"Even though we'd won a couple of grand slams in that time, we won every Bledisloe series, we won multiple Tri-Nations, you're still measured on the world cup.

"It wasn't really until I walked in after the media conference of that final against France ... that it hit me the whole attitude of change towards us ... all of a sudden the media conference was celebratory and positive, and we were being given accolades, whereas we'd been through a few years that were difficult to say the least.

"It was quite a tough journey, and then to win that game 8-7, that last 20 minutes was fought with danger of losing that game, so that was really special.

"[In] 2015, we had the best team in history, I would think. Had about five Centurions in that team, led by the great Richie McCaw and Dan Carter.

"The women's one [in 2022] was a surprise given I didn't really go for the job ... it was an eye opener for how great these women are and what a fantastic attitude they've got .. that was an exciting and joyful time."

Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz

The Black Ferns players went through their own struggle to be recognised as successful professional players while maintaining their personal lives and building other career options, Sir Wayne said.

"When you struggle for something so hard and you actually get it, it becomes a joy.

"It exudes through their personalities. They're also highly connected to the community ... we'd go to schools, some would take food parcels around to different homes. There's all sort of things we did that invigorated the girls and made them feel like they're doing something special and they're part of the community."

Sir Wayne believed there was an opportunity to help the female players pave their own career paths in rugby as well as outside of it too.

He now has a new role with New Zealand Rugby as performance coach to Black Ferns and All Blacks, which will include mentoring and supporting of respective head coaches.