South African rugby has been dealt some desperately sad news in the form of Juan Smith being forced to announce his retirement from rugby.
Smith has missed most of the last two seasons due to an ongoing Achilles injury and confirmed the news of his retirement to the Volksblad newspaper after an MRI scan revealed that he had injured the tendon again.
Smith had been making his way back into the game after getting through games against the Stormers and Bulls for the Cheetahs in recent weeks, but further injury has forced the 31 year old 69-Test veteran to call it a day.
Smith has spent the last 2 years battling not only his injury, but also a drought on his farm in the Free State, and will no doubt now focus his energies on the farm and his butchery in town.
Smith did not play one minute of Test rugby in 2011 or 2012, missing out on a third RWC appearance. The hard-working loose-forward – who won Rugby World Cup (2007) and Tri-Nations (2009) titles with the Boks – captained the Boks in their final match of 2010, at Twickenham against the Barbarians.
One of the real hard men of the Springbok pack, Smith was fearless on defence and very strong with the ball in hand. Along with Schalk Burger, he holds the Springbok record for the most tries in Tests as a flank (11).
Juan Smith’s Bok record:
Position: Flank (59) No. 8 (10)
Province: Free State Cheetahs
Springbok number: 746
Test debut: 7 June 2003 vs Scotland in Durban, aged 21
Last test: 27 November 2010 vs England in London, aged 29
Total tests: 69
Tour matches: 2
Total Springbok matches: 71
Win ratio: 48-21-0
Honours: SA Rugby Player of the Year nominee (2007 & 2003).
