Juan Smith
Encyclopedia
Juan Hugo Smith is a South African rugby union
footballer. His usual position is at blindside flanker
, although he has also played number eight, he plays for the Springboks. He plays for the Vodacom Cheetahs
in the international Super 14
competition as well as the Free State Cheetahs
in the Currie Cup
. He is the current captain of the Vodacom Cheetahs.
at Kings Park
in Durban
. He was also named in the Springboks' team for the second Scottish Test the following week. He then played at number 8 during the 2003 Tri Nations Series
against Australia
and the All Blacks
.
Smith was included in the Springboks squad for the 2003 Rugby World Cup
in Australia. He played in four matches at the World Cup
and scored a try in the match against Manu Samoa
. Although he only played the one Test for South Africa during 2004 - against Wales
at Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff
in November, he was capped 10 times for the Springboks the following season.
He was a reserve in matches against Uruguay
and France
, before being moving up into the starting line-up again as a flanker for the 2005 Tri Nations Series
. The Free State Cheetahs
made it to the 2005 Currie Cup final, where they defeated the Blue Bulls
to win the championship. He then played in the 20-16 loss against France at Stade de France
in Paris.
The Cheetahs gained entrance into the Super 14, and competed in the 2006 season
. Smith captained the side, which ended up doing remarkably well for a new team, and the Cheetahs finished above the other new team, the Western Force
, as well as three other Super 14 teams. He played in the 2006 mid-year rugby tests wins over Scotland, as well as the loss against France in South Africa, then being named in the Springboks' 2006 Tri Nations Series
squad.
Juan Smith was a key part of the World Cup-winning team to lift the Webb Ellis trophy in 2007 and brought it back to South Africa for the second time in four attempts. Although Smith wears the number seven on the back of his shirt, implying that he is an open side flanker, he is actually a blindside flanker as the custom in South Africa is for openside to wear the number six rather than seven. Smith is a strong ball carrier and has decent pace he is arguably one of the best blindside flankers in the world.
Cheetahs captain Juan Smith appears set to miss South Africa's defence of their Rugby World Cup title in 2011 after tearing his Achilles tendon.Smith left the field inside the first two minutes of the Cheetahs 25-22 Vodacom Super Rugby defeat to the Bulls in Bloemfontein on 25 February 2011, and will undergo surgery.
He is likely to be sidelined for between six to nine months, almost certainly ruling him out of the World Cup in New Zealand starting on 9 September 2011.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer. His usual position is at blindside flanker
Flanker (rugby union)
A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards...
, although he has also played number eight, he plays for the Springboks. He plays for the Vodacom Cheetahs
Central Cheetahs
The Central Cheetahs, known for sponsorship reasons as the Toyota Cheetahs, is a South African rugby union team that entered the Super Rugby competition in 2006. The franchise area encompasses the Free State and Northern Cape. In terms of Currie Cup unions, the Cheetahs draw from Free State...
in the international Super 14
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
competition as well as the Free State Cheetahs
Free State Cheetahs
The Free State Cheetahs , currently named the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, for sponsorship reasons, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Free State Rugby Union and are based at the 37,076-capacity Vodacom Park in...
in the Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
. He is the current captain of the Vodacom Cheetahs.
Career
Smith made his international debut for South Africa on 7 June 2003 as a reserve in the 29-25 victory over ScotlandScotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
at Kings Park
Kings Park Stadium
Kings Park , is a stadium in the Kings Park Sporting Precinct in Durban, South Africa, which was originally built in 1891 and extensively renovated in the 1990s...
in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
. He was also named in the Springboks' team for the second Scottish Test the following week. He then played at number 8 during the 2003 Tri Nations Series
2003 Tri Nations Series
The 2003 Tri Nations Series was contested from 12 July to 16 August between the Australia, New Zealand and South Africa national rugby union teams. The All Blacks won the tournament.-Table:-Results:...
against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
and the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
.
Smith was included in the Springboks squad for the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
in Australia. He played in four matches at the World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
and scored a try in the match against Manu Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
. Although he only played the one Test for South Africa during 2004 - against Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
at Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
in November, he was capped 10 times for the Springboks the following season.
He was a reserve in matches against Uruguay
Uruguay national rugby union team
The Uruguay national rugby union team is the representative side of Uruguay, governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay. They have been playing international rugby since 1948. Their jersey is blue and black and they are known as Los Teros. They qualified twice for the Rugby World Cup, in 1999 and...
and France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
, before being moving up into the starting line-up again as a flanker for the 2005 Tri Nations Series
2005 Tri Nations Series
-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round Five:-Round Six:-External links:* at Rugby.com.aurugby union schedule for 2005...
. The Free State Cheetahs
Free State Cheetahs
The Free State Cheetahs , currently named the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, for sponsorship reasons, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Free State Rugby Union and are based at the 37,076-capacity Vodacom Park in...
made it to the 2005 Currie Cup final, where they defeated the Blue Bulls
Blue Bulls
The Blue Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Blue Bulls, or more popularly by their Afrikaans name die Blou Bulle, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament...
to win the championship. He then played in the 20-16 loss against France at Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
in Paris.
The Cheetahs gained entrance into the Super 14, and competed in the 2006 season
2006 Super 14 season
The 2006 Super 14 season started on Friday 10 February 2006. The Grand Final was held on Saturday 27 May 2006. Super 14 is a provincial rugby union competition with 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. This season was the first of the expansion, which saw two new teams, the...
. Smith captained the side, which ended up doing remarkably well for a new team, and the Cheetahs finished above the other new team, the Western Force
Western Force
Western Force is a rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super Rugby competition. They first competed in the 2006 season and finished with the wooden spoon in that year, however their performances greatly improved in 2007. In 2008 they finished in 8th...
, as well as three other Super 14 teams. He played in the 2006 mid-year rugby tests wins over Scotland, as well as the loss against France in South Africa, then being named in the Springboks' 2006 Tri Nations Series
2006 Tri Nations Series
-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:* All Blacks retain Bledisloe Cup-Week 5:-Week 6:-Week 7:-Week 8:-Week 9:-External links:* * *...
squad.
Juan Smith was a key part of the World Cup-winning team to lift the Webb Ellis trophy in 2007 and brought it back to South Africa for the second time in four attempts. Although Smith wears the number seven on the back of his shirt, implying that he is an open side flanker, he is actually a blindside flanker as the custom in South Africa is for openside to wear the number six rather than seven. Smith is a strong ball carrier and has decent pace he is arguably one of the best blindside flankers in the world.
Cheetahs captain Juan Smith appears set to miss South Africa's defence of their Rugby World Cup title in 2011 after tearing his Achilles tendon.Smith left the field inside the first two minutes of the Cheetahs 25-22 Vodacom Super Rugby defeat to the Bulls in Bloemfontein on 25 February 2011, and will undergo surgery.
He is likely to be sidelined for between six to nine months, almost certainly ruling him out of the World Cup in New Zealand starting on 9 September 2011.
External links
- Cheetahs profile
- Juan Smith on rwc2003.irb.com
- Juan Smith on genslin.us
- Free State Cheetahs