Kwagga Smith
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Albertus Stephanus Smith | ||
| Born |
11 June 1993 Lydenburg, South Africa | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Weight | 90 kg (14 st 2 lb) | ||
| School(s) attended | HTS Middelburg, Middelburg | ||
| Club information | |||
| Playing position | Flanker | ||
| Current club | Golden Lions / Lions | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2011 | Pumas | ||
| 2012–2014 | Golden Lions | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Pts)† |
| 2014–present | Golden Lions | 28 | (95) |
| 2015–present | Lions | 3 | (0) |
| Representative team(s)‡ | |||
| 2013 | South Africa Under-20 | 3 | (10) |
| 2013–present | South Africa Sevens | () | |
|
* Senior club appearances and points correct as of 25 October 2016. | |||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | Team |
| Commonwealth Games | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2014 Glasgow | Team |
Albertus Stephanus "Kwagga" Smith (born 11 June 1993) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing for the Golden Lions.[1] His regular position is flanker.
He was a member of the South African Sevens team that won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Rugby career
Youth
He played schools rugby for HTS Middelburg in Mpumalanga, which led to his inclusion in the Pumas Under-18 squads that played at the Craven Week competitions in 2010 and 2011.
After school, he moved to Johannesburg, where he joined the Golden Lions. He started in nine matches for the Golden Lions U19 side during the 2012 Under-19 Provincial Championship, scoring four tries.
He was selected in the South African Under-20 side that played at the 2013 IRB Junior World Championship in France. His only appearance in the pool stages came when he came played off the bench in the 97–0 victory over the United States.[2] He didn't play in their matches against England[3] and France,[4] but he did return to the bench for their semi-final clash with Wales. He came on in the first half and scored one of South Africa's two tries in the match, but it wasn't enough to prevent them losing the match 18–17 as Wales progressed to the final.[5] Smith was again named in their final match of the tournament, the third-placed play-off against New Zealand, and once again scored a try for the Baby Boks to help the team to a 41–34 victory and to clinch third place in the competition.[6]
He returned to domestic action later in 2013, making ten appearances for the Golden Lions U21 side in the 2013 Under-21 Provincial Championship, scoring four tries in the process. He also played for the same team in the 2014 Under-21 Provincial Championship.
Sevens
At the end of 2013, Smith joined the South African Sevens side. He made his debut on the international IRB Sevens World Series circuit at the 2013 South Africa Sevens event, helping his side to victory in their home tournament for just the second time ever, beating New Zealand in the Cup final.[7] He appeared in six legs of the 2013–14 IRB Sevens World Series, following up the event in South Africa with appearances in the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, Scotland and London legs of the tournament.
He was also selected in the squad that played at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and helped his side to a 17–12 victory over a New Zealand that won the previous four tournaments.[8]
Golden Lions
He was included in the Golden Lions first team squad for the 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division and was named on the bench for their Round Two match against the Eastern Province Kings in Johannesburg.[9]
2016 Summer Olympics
Smith was included in a 12-man squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.[10] He was named in the starting line-up for their first match in Group B of the competition against Spain, with South Africa winning the match 24–0.[11][12]
References
- ↑ "SA Rugby Player Profile – Kwagga Smith". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
- ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – South Africa 97-0 USA". South African Rugby Union. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – South Africa 31-24 England". South African Rugby Union. 9 June 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – France 19-26 South Africa". South African Rugby Union. 13 June 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – South Africa 17-18 Wales". South African Rugby Union. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – South Africa 41-34 New Zealand". South African Rugby Union. 23 June 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ↑ "Inspired South Africa win home Sevens title". IRB. 8 December 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
- ↑ "Glasgow 2014 – Men's Rugby Sevens Gold Medal Match". Glasgow 2014 – XX Commonwealth Games. 3 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
- ↑ "Team announcement – Xerox Golden Lions vs EP Kings". Golden Lions. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
- ↑ "Rugby Sevens squad for Olympics named". South African Rugby Union. 14 July 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ↑ "Men Schedule & Results – Olympic Rugby Sevens (RSA–ESP)". Rio 2016. 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ↑ "Olympic Games Men's Sevens, Match 2". World Rugby. 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.