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World Rugby U20 Championship

Getting to know: Junior Springboks fly-half Jean Smith

By Liam Heagney

28 Jun 2023

(Photo by Liam Heagney)

Saturday night in Stellenbosch played host to a lovely moment post-match as Jean Smith managed to grab some time with his family. Franco’s coaching job in Glasgow means that father and son orbit different hemispheres when it comes to rugby, but with northern club rugby now in its off-season it allowed an opportunity for a matchday catch-up down south in South Africa.

Smith accounted for 18 of the 33 points scored by the Junior Springboks in their 10-point win, including two late pressure penalty kicks after Georgia had narrowed the gap to two to briefly threaten a major upset at the Junior World Championship.

That composure helped Smith to be given the player of the match award in front of an attendance of 5,000 at the Danie Craven Stadium, but it won’t be until the third match of the pool stage – the July 4 encounter with Argentina – when the fly-half is next involved in the tournament.

Rassie Erasmus explains how the players and management will be split for New Zealand

With head coach Bafana Nhleko opting to hugely rejig his side for this Thursday’s meeting with Italy in Paarl, Smith has been given an opportunity to rest and he was suitably relaxed on Tuesday when RugbyPass caught up with him at the South African team hotel in Newlands, adjacent to the now-redundant stadium that memorably hosted multiple 1995 Rugby World Cup matches.

Born in Italy, Smith spoke at length about his upbringing in Europe before the family returned to South Africa when Franco, an ex-Springboks fly-half, continued the earlier part of his coaching career.

That illuminating conversation will be published next week. In the meantime, here are the youngster’s answers to the quickfire part of the interview, chit-chat that revealed how famed All Black Dan Carter made Smith fall in love with rugby and how he would love one day to get to play with current Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi:

THE BASICS
Born: April 1, 2003;
Joined South Africa age-grade: It was 2019, U16.
Club: Cell C Sharks (Junior contract);
Position: Fly-half;
Boots: adidas Malice Control;
Gumshield: Opro;
Headgear: No;
School: Grey College, Bloemfontein.

RATE YOURSELF (out of 100)
Pace: 65;
Passing: 80;
Tackling: 75;
Kicking: Out of hand and everything, I’ll say 80.

THE PAST
My favourite South Africa player of all time is… Jean de Villiers.

Favourite try I have ever scored is… My first try in a first-team jersey at school.

A rugby memory that makes me smile is… 2019 World Cup where the Boks won.

The moment I realised I could make it is… 2019 when I was grade 10, that year started and I got the call-up for the first time.

One piece of advice I would give to my younger self is… Keep on working hard.

My best subject in school was… Drawing, EGD (engineering, graphic and design).

The first player who made me fall in love with rugby is… Dan Carter.

Growing up, my position was… Always fly-half.

The coach who has most impacted my game is… My father.

THE PRESENT
My favourite rising rugby player is… Katlego Letebele, outside centre.

My best attribute on the field is… Vision.

One thing I’m doing to improve my education is… I’m currently studying (he doesn’t reveal what exactly).

My favourite current South Africa player is… Handre Pollard.

My favourite YouTuber is… I don’t have a favourite, can I say that?

My hardest working teammate is… Ethan Hooker.

My most skilful teammate is… I would say Hakeem Kunene.

My favourite training drill is… Two vs three.

My favourite music artist is… NF.

THE FUTURE??
A player who could go all the way is… Ethan Hooker.

If I could play with anyone, I would like to play with… It would be great to play with Siya Kolisi. I’ll say him.

I will be happy with my career if I… Playing international rugby.

I want to make a difference by… Making people believe that anything can happen if they just dream about it.

One thing I want to add to my game is… Being a consistent drop-goaler.

If I could get a degree in anything I would choose… I would be an engineer.

I would be a better player if I… Consistently work on myself.

If I could play in any other country, I would play in… These are hard questions. Maybe Ireland or Italy.

One person I want to meet is… Sorry, these are questions that I am not used to. Like, any person in the whole world? Will Smith.

One trophy I would love to win is… The World Cup.

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Comments on RugbyPass

Hellhound 10 minutes ago

'I have full belief that if we play well we can beat South Africa'

You have to have dreams to reach for the stars, but without believing it, it won't ever happen. It's one thing to say things to the media, quite another to believe what you regurgitate just for the journalists and the public. No one is fooled, and it's the one game they knew Wales will get smashed. The Boks won 10 games without being at their best. Even on their baddest day they will smash this Wales team.

I don't really blame the players. I blame the WRU. Their best players is not available due to restrictions, small change as pay and an overly believe in their own power that amounts to nothing. Get rid of them and Gatland, and maybe their will be an upwards curve. They will lose against the Boks, and also all the games in the 6N if they keep the current board. Italy will be able to smash them.

2 Go to comments

Hellhound 20 minutes ago

France put World Cup pain behind them with unbeaten run in November

France is starting to look like they are finally over their WC headache, although they were lucky that NZ had a very bad game. The Argies as usual is one game good, the next bad. If they can sort that out and be more consistent, they could become contenders for the WC.

NZ, Argentina (if they are more consistent), and now the Wallabies too is in an upward curve (can they be consistent?), as well as Fiji(as inconsistent as Argentina) looks like possible contenders. The Boks will be as usual a huge threat to defend their title. Things are looking up for the South, so the North should rightfully beware of the Southern Hemisphere threat.

With the French looking dangerous, the English with their close runs (mostly a mindset problem) and the Scottish seems to be the NH main contenders. The Irish is good, but not excellent anymore. They are more overbearing and with their glory days mostly gone with old players hanging on by a thread, by 2027 if they don't start adding in the younger players, they won't make it past yet another WC Quarter final. The problem is that their youngsters, while good is nothing special.

That is just 8 teams without the Irish that can become real WC contenders. Lots of hickups to be sorted still for these teams, excluding the Boks to become a threat. Make no mistake, the top Tier is much closer than people realise and the 2027 WC will be a really great WC, possibly the best contended WC ever.

1 Go to comments

Hellhound 41 minutes ago

Brett Robinson's first media briefing as new World Rugby chair

When I first read the article, there was much I wanted to say and nothing very good. I was angry, so I took a step back and reviewed everything I learned. I decides to take the diplomatic route and kept it as simple as I could and just said what my biggest worry was, which was the core of the problem. Or else my reply would have been another article here. Id have preferred Augustin Pichot, but he didn't put his name up again. That is a shame

6 Go to comments

Ml 43 minutes ago

Did Rassie Erasmus miss a trick with his latest South Africa squad?

As I said before, bye now PinkyPedant. I hope you stew over this issue for years to come, and it sours every meal you eat.

55 Go to comments

SteveD 53 minutes ago

Brett Robinson's first media briefing as new World Rugby chair

I should have read your excellent comment before launching my own protest. Dark days IMHO. 🤞 for rugby union's future.

6 Go to comments

SteveD 55 minutes ago

Brett Robinson's first media briefing as new World Rugby chair

"Now we have one of the most competitive football markets in the world and we are the canary in the coalmine in terms of change and dealing with that."

And there lies the rub. We don't care about your problems with Aussie Rules or Rugby League. If you're in the job just to save your union from competition by making our fantastic game more like one-dimensional boring league then all the rest of your promises are just BS. We'll be watching you like hawks to try and keep you in line, but - like Beaumont - you'll probably be able to push through whatever you like and the game will lose once again, but this time potentially terminally. I believe that your selection could be the worst decision WR have ever made.

6 Go to comments

OJohn 1 hour ago

David Campese names his Springbok world player of the year winner

And Scott Robertson not going so well is he.

Not a bad effort but a correction. McKenzie was not born in NSW so is not a Tah. He was born in Victoria. Played for the Brumbies and coached Qld and also played and then later coached NSW, until the self entitled Tah players decided to stab him in the back. And who was the captain of the Tahs at the time leading the back stabbing. Well, well it was none other than Phil Waugh, current Rugby Australia CEO. Who recently tried to deny he had met Suallii at Hamish McLennan's house pre signing, until McLennan outed him recently as a bald faced liar as he was in fact there.

I doubt very much if McKenzie, who was also assistant coach to Eddie Jones in Jones first stint coaching Australia, would appreciate being labelled a Tah, given it was the Tahs Hooper and Beale and Cheika who stabbed him in the back again when he walked away thru lack of support from Hooper and Rugby Australia.

Schmidt might have theoretically better credentials, even tho he dumped Ireland in the brink but he had to start somewhere. You can't argue if you think he is great that Schmidt should never have been given an opportunity.

Schmidt lacks a crucial ingredient. He's not Australian. It does matter, which as a Bokke you would well know.

13 Go to comments

OJohn 1 hour ago

David Campese takes back his Joe Schmidt coaching Australia criticism

Because the two guys primarily in charge of hiring a new coach for Rugby Australia Peter Horne and Phil Waugh, are Tahs. The Chairman of Rugby Australia Daaniel Herbert is from Qld but he's not that bright and weak.

Horne was good friends with Schmidt and they knew if they hired him on a million dollars a year they would own him and he would select Tah players who shouldn't be there . Like Jake Gordon (4th or 5th best halfback in Australia) and similarly for Donaldson). The Tahs are all about being able to brag how many Wallabies they have, even if the Wallabies keep losing because of it. Michael Hooper, the worst Wallaby captain in decades a prime example. He made Taine Randall look great.

37 Go to comments

Ninjin 3 hours ago

'I have full belief that if we play well we can beat South Africa'

Ok if you say so........

2 Go to comments

Bull Shark 3 hours ago