Gert Smal

Gert Smal
Birth name	Gert Petrus Smal
Date of birth	27 December 1961 (age 62)
Place of birth	Kimberley, South Africa
Height	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight	120 kg (18 st 13 lb)
School	Hoërskool Kroonstad
Spouse	Patti
Children	Dean ; Tamarin
Rugby union career
Position(s)
Position(s)	Flanker
Senior career
Years	Team
1980–1983 ; 1984–1985 ; 1986–1990	Western Transvaal ; Maties ; Rugby Rovigo
Provincial / State sides
Years	Team
1984–1993	Western Province
International career
Years	Team
1984 ; 1986 ; 1986–1987 ; 1986–1989	SA Gazelles; Junior Springboks ; SA Defence Force ; South Africa
	Correct as of 31 July 2019
Coaching career
Years	Team
1998–1999 ; 2000–2002 ; 2003–2005 ; 2004–2007 ; 2008–2013 ; 2014–2018 ; 2019-present	Border Bulldogs ; Western Province ; Stormers ; South Africa ; Ireland ; Western Province ; Toyota Verblitz
	Correct as of 31 July 2019

Last updated February 25, 2024

Gert Petrus Smal (born 27 December 1961, Kimberley, South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player and assistant coach of the South African and Irish national rugby union teams. He is currently the forwards coach at Japanese Top League team Toyota Verblitz.

Playing career

Club career

Gert Smal was a flanker with Western Transvaal from 1980 to 1983 then played with Stellenbosch University from 1984 to 1985. After the appointment of former Springboks coach Nelie Smith for the Italian club Rugby Rovigo, he moved there in 1986, soon becoming a key element for the achievement of two national titles (1988 and 1990), alongside fellow South Africans Naas Botha and Tito Lupini. During his time in Italy, he also helped Rugby Rovigo reach another final (1989). The Smith-Lupini-Botha-Smal era is still fondly remembered in Rovigo, the most rugby addicted city in Italy, for the impact it had in ending a 9 years winning drought for the team.

Provincial/International career

Smal had a limited international playing career due to the international boycott of South African sports teams because of the apartheid regime which ended in 1992. He captained South African Gazelles (U24 side) in 1984. He turned out for the Springboks against the touring New Zealand Cavaliers in 1986, against a World Invitation XV in 1989 and a Serge Blanco World XV team against France.^[3]

He also represented Western Province between 1984 and 1993 and the South African Defence Forces in 1986 and 1987.

Retirement from playing

On the Australasian tour with Western Province in 1993, during a match against Queensland, Smal received a blow in the mouth causing him to lose vision in the bottom corner of his left eye forcing his retirement from playing.^[4]

Coaching career

Following the end of his playing career, he was appointed to a number of key coaching positions in South Africa and held coaching positions at the Border Bulldogs (1998–99), Western Province (2000–02) when they twice won the Currie Cup and then with the Stormers in the Super 12 between 2003 and 2005, reaching the semi-finals in 2004.^[4]

In 2004, Smal was appointed to the South African team management as assistant coach to Jake White, during which time the Springboks won the Tri-Nations championship in 2004 before winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup. When Jake White was replaced by Peter de Villiers as head coach following the world cup in 2007, Smal offered to develop rugby in the Eastern Cape but was turned down by the South African Rugby Union ^[4]

In June 2008, Smal was appointed forwards coach to the Irish National team under Declan Kidney.^[5] During Smal's time at Ireland, they won the 2009 Six Nations completing the Grand Slam for the first time in 61 years. His assistance was key in Ireland's victory over the 2007 World Champions and Tri Nations 2009 champions South Africa during the 2009 Autumn Internationals where he taught the Irish pack some Afrikaans so that they could read the opposition's line out calls.^[6]^[7]

In June 2011, he signed a contract extension with the IRFU.

Smal was forced to miss the remainder of the 2012 Six Nations Championship after an eye condition struck him. His temporary replacement was Munster forwards coach Anthony Foley.^[8]

Smal's contract with Ireland ended in 2013 after which he chose to return to South Africa. In 2014, Smal was appointed the Director of Rugby atWestern Province.^[9] He then left Western Province in 2019 to join Jake White at Japanese club team Toyota Verblitz where he is currently the forwards coach.

Achievements

Currie Cup 1984, 85 & 86 with Western Province as player.
Serie A1 Championship with Rugby Rovigo as player: 1988 and 1990.
Currie Cup 2000 & 2001 with Western Province as head coach.
Tri Nations 2004, with South Africa as assistant coach.
2007 Rugby World Cup with South Africa as assistant coach.
2009 Six Nations with Ireland as forward coach.
Currie Cup 2014 & 2017 with Western Province as Director of Rugby.

Personal life

He is married to Patti and they have two children, a son Dean and daughter Tamarin.^[4]

Related Research Articles

Hendrik Egnatius 'Naas' Botha is a South African former rugby union player, who played for Northern Transvaal and South Africa.

Percival Colin Montgomery OIS is a Namibian-South African former professional rugby union player. When he ended his international career in August 2008, he held the all-time records for both caps and points for South Africa's national team, known as the Springboks.

Breyton Paulse is a South African former rugby union player who played on the wing for the national team, the Springboks, from 1999 to 2007. He played 64 test matches for South Africa, scoring 26 tries.

Robert Brian Skinstad is a former rugby union professional player who has represented the South African national team, the Springboks. He played in the positions of flanker and number eight.

Jean de Villiers is a South African former professional rugby union player. He started his career at wing, but played most of his career as an inside centre. De Villiers previously played for Western Province in the Currie Cup, the Stormers in Super Rugby, Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby and internationally for South Africa, for whom he was named captain in June 2012.

Daniel Jacobus Rossouw is a South African former professional rugby union footballer who played as a second row forward or back row forward. He played for the Bulls in the Super Rugby competition. Rossouw made his provincial debut during 1999 for the Blue Bulls in a match against the North Western Province in the Currie Cup competition. In 2001 he made his Super 12 debut for the Bulls against the Cats.

Juanne Hugo Smith is a South African former professional rugby union player who represented South Africa in international test rugby, the Cheetahs in the Super Rugby competition, and the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup. He mainly played as a blindside flanker, although he has also played number eight.

Johan "Rassie" Erasmus is a South African rugby union coach and former player. He was the head coach of the South African national team from 2018 to the end of their 2019 World Cup campaign, doubling up on his duties as the first ever SARU Director of Rugby, to which he was appointed towards the end of 2017. He led South Africa to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and he subsequently won the 2019 World Rugby Coach of the Year award.

Luke Asher Watson is a South African former rugby union footballer who can play at flank or eighthman. He has represented and captained the South African Schools rugby team (2001), South Africa's under-19 (2002) and under-21 (2004) teams, as well as the Springbok Sevens team (2001). Watson has also captained both the Western Province and the Super Rugby Stormers. He most recently played for the Eastern Province Kings.

Ryan Kankowski is a South African professional rugby union player, who played for the South Africa national rugby union team between 2007 and 2012.

Peter de Villiers is a South African professional rugby union coach and Good Party politician. He was coach of the South Africa national rugby union team from 2008 to 2011, after successes with the South African U19 and U21 squads, and the first-ever non-white to be appointed to the position.

Christiaan Petrus 'Tiaan' Strauss, is a former rugby union and rugby league footballer who represented both South Africa and Australia at international level in rugby union and also played top-level domestic rugby league in Australia. He won the 1999 Rugby World Cup with Australia and the Currie Cup with Western Province.

Carel Johan du Plessis is a former South African rugby union coach and player.

Daniel Johannes "Duane" Vermeulen is a former South African professional rugby union player who previously played for the South Africa national team. He also previously played for Ulster Rugby in the United Rugby Championship, Vodacom Blue Bulls and the Pumas, Free State Cheetahs and Western Province in South African domestic rugby, the Cheetahs, Stormers and Bulls in Super Rugby and Toulon in the Top 14. He was an instrumental part of South Africa winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup and received the Man of the Match award in the final. Vermeulen played as a Number eight but he was equally adept at playing both blindside and openside flanker.

Ashley Johnson is a professional rugby union player-coach who plays and coaches for Birmingham Moseley in National League 1. He previously played for Free State Cheetahs at provincial level, Cheetahs in the Super Rugby, Wasps in Premiership Rugby and the Springboks. His usual position is hooker, having converted from backrow whilst with Wasps. His first game for the Springboks was in 2009 on tour to the British Isles, but he only earned his first Test Caps in the 2011 Tri-Nations series.

Allister Coetzee is a South African rugby union coach and former player, currently in charge of the Namibian national team on a part time basis, whilst also head coach of Rugby Rovigo in Italy. He served as the head coach of the South African national team from April 2016 to February 2018.

Johan Tertius "Gus" Theron is a South African former professional rugby union player. Theron played mainly on the wing and at centre.

Pieter Willem Gabriel Rossouw is a South African former professional rugby player and current coach. Rossouw played wing for Western Province in the Currie Cup and the Stormers in the Super Rugby competition. He played a total of 43 times for the Springboks, making him one of the most capped Springbok wingers after South Africa's readmission to international rugby. He was also one of South Africa's most prolific try-scoring wingers, post-isolation, with only Breyton Paulse(26) and Bryan Habana(53) scoring more tries. He is 7th on the all-time try-scoring list for the Springboks. Rossouw is currently the backline coach of the Bulls in Super rugby and the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup. He was known as "Slaptjips", apparently because the sight of his running legs was like potato chips slapping together. Pieter is the older brother of Chris Rossouw, who played flyhalf for Western Province and the Free State Cheetahs.

Tito Lupini was a South African-born Italian rugby union player who played as a prop.

Cornelius Michael 'Nelie' Smith was a South African rugby union player and coach.

References

↑ "SA Rugby Player Profile – Gert Smal". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
↑ "One Smal step for Ireland". Irish Independent. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
↑ "Gert Smal Joins Ireland Management Team". Irishrugby.ie. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2009.^{[ dead link ]}
1 2 3 4 "One Smal step for Ireland". Irish Independent . 1 November 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
↑ "Gert Smal Joins Ireland Management Team". Irish Rugby. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
↑ "Irish read Afrikaans calls at Croke Park". The South African Rugby Players Association. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
↑ "Big problem was Smal - Matfield". Planet Rugby. 30 November 2009. Archived from the original on 3 December 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
↑ "Gert Smal Update". irishrugby.ie. 24 February 2012. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
↑ "Smal appointed as Western Province Director of Rugby" (Press release). Stormers. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[SARU_Player_Profile_Gert_Smal-1] "SA Rugby Player Profile – Gert Smal". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 30 May 2016.

[2] "One Smal step for Ireland". Irish Independent. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2014.

[3] "Gert Smal Joins Ireland Management Team". Irishrugby.ie. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2009.^{[ dead link ]}

[Irish_Independent'-4] 1 2 3 4 "One Smal step for Ireland". Irish Independent . 1 November 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2009.

[5] "Gert Smal Joins Ireland Management Team". Irish Rugby. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2021.

[6] "Irish read Afrikaans calls at Croke Park". The South African Rugby Players Association. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2009.

[7] "Big problem was Smal - Matfield". Planet Rugby. 30 November 2009. Archived from the original on 3 December 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2009.

[8] "Gert Smal Update". irishrugby.ie. 24 February 2012. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.

[Smal_appointed_as_Western_Province_Director_of_Rugby-9] "Smal appointed as Western Province Director of Rugby" (Press release). Stormers. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]