Bok Juan Smith retires
12 Feb 2013
Juan Smith was a giant of a Bok player. As a person he was even larger in stature. I’ll remember him for more than just being a great rugby player.
Smith quit the game today because he accepted his Achilles would continue to restrict his ability to deliver what his heart desired. He was honest with himself, which is the character that typified his time within rugby.
He has for me always been the unsung heroes of Bok rugby and was among the players of the tournament.
His desire to contribute to a successful Rugby World Cup challenge forced an early return to the field in 2011 but all it did was ensure he would not play at the highest level again.
There will be no bitterness from Smith. There will be no self pity. It is not his style.
Former Bok legend Andre Venter used to call him ‘Die Yster’; the man of steel.
Bob Skinstad, taking the DJ microphone in Tobby Joe’s in Port Elizabeth in 2003, told people that the Boks were in the VIP area and if there was only one player they should meet that night it was a player called Juan Smith.
‘This guy said Skinstad will become one of the greats of Bok rugby.’
Smith ruptured his Achilles in the opening round of the 2011 Super Rugby season.
He had four operations in the last 18 months to make it back and even though he played two of the Cheetahs Super Rugby pre-season games he said he knew the Achilles was too vulnerable to take the demands of professional rugby.
He told Die Volksblad Newspaper: ‘Were it not for the fans and my family, then I probably would have made the decision to retire much earlier. It was the fans who gave me the courage to – after several disappointing operations – attempt to make a comeback to the rugby field this year.
‘I appreciate all the support I received through the years from my family, Bok- and especially Free State supporters.’
He played 69 Tests and won the Tri Nations, the World Cup and the British and Irish Lions series.
By Mark Keohane
269 Comments
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12 Feb 2013, 12:03 pm
@Heavens Game-185: which thumb do you suck this cr.ap out of? How do you know that people getting a sh.it wage for s sh.it job are happy with their lot? Just because they are all smiley when Baas walks by? He’s one of us because he chucks a couple of Zulu words our way. It was that kind of deluded arrogance that that sunk the Good Ship Rhodesia. People migrate to the Cape for a good reason. Carry on Boss Boy isn’t feeding the family.
12 Feb 2013, 12:04 pm
@gunther-198: No that’s Crusty Cane….
12 Feb 2013, 12:04 pm
@Robzim-194: Mof being thoroughly appropriate… For the likes of you and the other Pink feather Boa wearers of course…
Which probably includes most of the whitemen in the Fairest Fishdorpie under the mountain too…
Never mind, not your fault… A definition of hard brings a different meaning to you Stormin’ bent over brokebacks than to the rest of honest rugga players or supporters of the World in Union…
And then I see Elstadt, another “hard” man… Farksakes, even Mark Andrews would have him for breakfast and Atherton would use him as a toothpick…
Farken “hard” men of the fairest… Chuckling shitlesss here…
12 Feb 2013, 12:07 pm
@Heavens Game-203: Jirre that 4 day old rotten shad head you are trawling with is miff bru….
12 Feb 2013, 12:07 pm
@Blokkies-195: Sounds like a Capearinghole to me (Cape-a-ring-hole to you DHL Stormin’ Feather Boa supporters…)
A true “hardman” drink of the Fairest Cape…
12 Feb 2013, 12:12 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-196: “7?s on the beach at Camps Bay”… or clutching ballas in the bay of pigs on a sunny day… Naah, not for any honest Rugga lovers outside the mountain bubble thankyaverymuch….
Not that you would know any different, after all life and rugby starts in Durbanville and ends at the boundary of the Mjondolos outside Cape Town Airport for the likes of you poor myopic PC whiteys in the Brokeback peninsula…
Shamepies, not your fault you cant see the Cape wood for the African trees past the tip of your nimby noses…
12 Feb 2013, 12:16 pm
@stormer in a teacup-201: In the Last Outpost the Zulu is baas…
No baas whitey anymore, like you fools reckon in the Wicked West with your deluded self pronounced boundary from the rest of Real SA…
Actually a Zulu is baas for the whole of SA too… and that actually includes that Fishdorpie getting farked up quickly by Godzille and crew… From sprawling Airport mjondolos, to “Refugees” from their own country to Hex Valley saltana slavery….
The sooner you realise this, the more South African you’ll actually become or be… Capiche Mlungu?
12 Feb 2013, 12:18 pm
@Blokkies-204:
12 Feb 2013, 12:19 pm
@Heavens Game-205: Boet, 3 of those dops and you’ll be lying face down @ss up, lol.
Anyway I am off – hope you catch something with vrot bait of yours
12 Feb 2013, 12:20 pm
Everybody and their petty arguments just shut the F up already you effing wankers.
Its a sad sad day indeed for Bok rugby. For Juan to have been cut down so suddenly before he could bow out of bok rugby on his own steam is indeed a tragedy and I for one will be incredibly sad to never see him play in the Green and Gold again.
He has been one of the most outstanding Boks in recent history and was always the same – always good and always level headed. He will be an immense loss for us. Incredible how many greats SA rugby has lost in the last year.
Go well Juan and hope to see you doing some coaching sometime soon.
12 Feb 2013, 12:21 pm
@Blokkies-209: Classic…
Not bad for a bent brokeback, I must say myself…
Real honest Rugby has been your salvation clearly, my son…
12 Feb 2013, 12:23 pm
@Slumtown-210: Juan… a Real Bok… Would have looked good in Black and White to go with his Green and Gold legend…
A pity…
But BOOM! anyway…
12 Feb 2013, 12:27 pm
@Heavens Game-211: Growing up as a soutie in Potch you can bet I got buckled plenty by the mielie boertjies – those are hard muthaføckers.
But I have always been able to give as good as I get.
12 Feb 2013, 12:30 pm
@Slumtown-210: Yeah. Juan a man of massive integrity. Could have followed many others for bigger bucks, and he would have commanded amongst the highest. A man from another era almost.
12 Feb 2013, 12:47 pm
@Sheriff-153: What did Malachy say about Peter the Turk’s son?
12 Feb 2013, 13:18 pm
Tacitus must be so confused after and kie’s makietjie.
Jir why didn’t they give Zane Kirchner a line to sing, you can see the stars in his eyes as the boys in front of him hit their notes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cYRRAvi3cpw#!
12 Feb 2013, 13:19 pm
@wpstormerbok-216:
Spies & kie that is…
12 Feb 2013, 13:20 pm
And salutations to Juan Yster Smith.
12 Feb 2013, 13:44 pm
In a day and age where rugby players cannot wait to get onto Top Billing Juan Smith is a player I will miss.
Go well legend.
12 Feb 2013, 13:54 pm
So the queens select 5 foreign players in their squad, despite telling SARU that they will abide by the rules on this matter. Arrogant Cheeky fukcer. Why did he change his entitled mind.
Keo get your hands dirty and write about this kak.
12 Feb 2013, 13:59 pm
in 2 weeks time Kings will play Super Rugby and the Lions some koekliga against Swaziland … ohhhhhhhhh its trueeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
12 Feb 2013, 14:07 pm
@the curse-91:
haha ok, the boks and the all blacks are bad then
12 Feb 2013, 14:29 pm
@Heavens Game-123:
“Honourable mention : Buck Shelford, not a Bok granted, but lost a ballas during a game… and then continued…”
Must be the Winner!!!!! Anyone loosing his ballas and continue playing??? I mean, how tough can you really be???!!!!!!
12 Feb 2013, 14:33 pm
@@whistle@blower@-223: Shelford was and is a tough mutha…
He might have been tough enough to don Green and Gold or indeed Black and White (Sharks black and white that is) in his day…
Another tough mutha from sheepshagger heaven was one Cowboy Shaw…
Not many from Kiwiland, granted, but the real hard mofos, were very farken hard indeed…
12 Feb 2013, 14:34 pm
@@whistle@blower@-223:
Spies lost his before the game even started, and still played.
12 Feb 2013, 14:40 pm
Who was the AB psychopathic prop that was selected to intimidate the Boks with his dirty play?
12 Feb 2013, 14:42 pm
@Heavens Game-224:
What do these pillowbiters from the fairy cape do after a club rugby game?
Drink wine and discuss literature?
They even make the crusaders lot in deben look tough.
12 Feb 2013, 14:42 pm
@David-226: Kevin Skinner… A heavyweight NZ boxing champ…
A real NZ boxing Champ… Not a Sunni Boel…
12 Feb 2013, 14:45 pm
@Heavens Game-228:
Imagine if the ref was unsighted after your kinghit on a Quins boy and you did not get sent off…
12 Feb 2013, 14:45 pm
@Heavens Game-140:
Very good laugh!!
Reminds me of the 3rd team koshuis league hooker. Bit of flabby pokkel. Saw this face bottom of the loose scrum and decided to put it away. Threw his hardest punch ever, then retreated, but found his ankle in tight grip. It was the punched guy holding on. Got up. Towered above the hooker. And one shot booked him to hospital.
A genuine story.
12 Feb 2013, 14:48 pm
Or like a friend told me, when he grabbed the guy by the biceps he knew he had made a mistake to confront him in the first place. Next moment he was flat on his back
12 Feb 2013, 14:52 pm
@@whistle@blower@-223:
He didn’t lose a testicle, as such…but he did have a cut scrotum and lost three teeth in that collision in 1986. Stood calmly on the sideline while it got stitched up, waiting to return to the field…only to suffer a major concussion later.
To this day he claims he remembers nothing about that game.
12 Feb 2013, 14:53 pm
@@whistle@blower@-231:
Once during a game this oke was plukking one of our okes around.
Our hooker walked up pulled his fist 30cm away at most and dropped the oke with a jab.
We saw the oke 2 weeks later in a club and he was still suffering from headaches.
Poor kid.
12 Feb 2013, 14:54 pm
A good decision by a great player.
Well done on a vey good Bok career, Juan. Enjoy your time with family and friends now.
I just hope other Boks see this and don’t play on too long to the detriment of their team.
12 Feb 2013, 14:56 pm
@nama1-234:
Let’s hope Free State retains him in some form of mentor/coaching capacity.
He is a fantastic role model and I’m sure the young guys there would go to war for him.
12 Feb 2013, 15:02 pm
@Heavens Game-228:
Yeah, that’s the one. Even the NZRU finally banned him, if I’m not mistaken.
12 Feb 2013, 15:14 pm
@WP-Forever-235:
Agree.
He has so much to offer Free State and SA rugby. The question is, can they afford him?
12 Feb 2013, 15:14 pm
@Heavens Game-224:
I followed your banter on the cape broke backs….
Take a drive up the west coast. Tough as they come. Vredenburg, Saldanha, Morreesburg etc etc
Tommy Loubscher. Not one for wearing shoes. Would get straight of his tractor and drive to Cape Town for practice.
And the Etzebeth family. Skattie Etzebeth and the rest. From the hard part of Cape Town behind the boerewors curtain.
12 Feb 2013, 15:17 pm
@David-225:
hahaha
12 Feb 2013, 15:20 pm
@@whistle@blower@-238:
Skattie?
Bwhahaha!
What a name,nearly like Richard Gere who’s middle name is Tiffany.
12 Feb 2013, 15:24 pm
@WP-Forever-232:
even worse, he must be voted the toughest!!!
Like the wrestler who was pinned down completely. Saw the opponents ball bag and sunk his teeth. Just to discover that he sunk his teeth into his own ball bag
@Fern-233:
I wonder how SBW felt at practice yesterday?
12 Feb 2013, 15:26 pm
@@whistle@blower@-238:
Ruyterwacht, you should ask TheTackler about the Etzebeths.
12 Feb 2013, 15:30 pm
@Fern-240:
Fern, its best to laugh here, please don’t try in his face.
Suppose one did not joke with Mof Myburgh either about his name
Etzebeths the kind of guys who would empty the bar at the Goodwood Hotel, just to have it to themselves
I think I saw Skattie on TV not long ago. To do with Springbok wrestling.
12 Feb 2013, 15:31 pm
@Heavens Game-107: Yoh! Good story HG.
Those When Wes were tough ouens.
But his name is the clue “Andrew McDonald” – you dont get much tougher than Scots Highlanders. They remind me of Afrikaners (altho more ginger)
12 Feb 2013, 15:32 pm
@WP-Forever-242:
Yes,yes Ruiterwacht. I forgot the name.
What is it called nowadays?
Did Tackler hang around with them, or did he get roughed up by them?
12 Feb 2013, 15:45 pm
@WP-Forever-242:
Even the prossies there will **** you up.
12 Feb 2013, 15:49 pm
Sad news ! all the best big man. Enjoy your retirement and thanks for all the good rugby you played for your province and south africa.
12 Feb 2013, 15:55 pm
@@whistle@blower@-245: Why you calling him Ruiterwacht?
12 Feb 2013, 15:58 pm
@gunther-246:
And I bet you’ve got the scars to prove it?
12 Feb 2013, 16:08 pm
@@whistle@blower@-243: It was Cliffie. He won the wold masters wrestling champs or something like that.
But you are right about the Etsebeths. There are less of them than there used to be, but I would mind my “P”s and “Q”s around them. Particularly the older generation.
Eben and Ryan are huge guys, bigger than their uncles, but they seem to have their heads screwed on right.
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