Kwagga Smith

thumb|Kwagga Smith Albertus Stephanus 'Kwagga' Smith (born 11 June 1993) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the Shizuoka Blue Revs in Japan Rugby League One and the South Africa national team.His regular position is flanker. Quotes Growing up on a farm, you have no choice but to tackle all sorts of challenges that you might not do in a city setting, I probably couldn’t bench press 80kg in a gym, but I was workin g in an intense environment, loading 50kg bags onto a 30-ton fertiliser truck, and Lucerne bales onto a tractor trailer whenever we went out into the field. That kind of work can strengthen your body, and particularly your hands, in a very different way. When you’re doing that for hours on end, it can shape your mindset. If we weren’t working, my brother and I were out hunting or fishing. There wasn’t a TV in the house or anything like that, so we were always looking for ways to stay busy. The mental and physical attributes I gained from those experiences went on to shape my rugby career. Kwagga: I couldn’t bench 80kg, April 2024,SA RUGBY MAG by the Reporter I feel like it’s a good way to measure performance. I’ve never been the biggest player, and this way, I can be judged by what I do… From the outset, I said that my work-rate rather than my size will define me. I had two offers, one from the Lions and one from the Bulls. The guy at the Bulls said that I was too small to make it at professional level. My dad laughed and said, ‘That’s fine then, we’ll go to the Lions’ I look back now and think about how that red card – or rather the reaction to that red card – tested me as a person, and eventually made me stronger Every week, I’d asked Cobus Reinach for advice on where to stand when covering at scrum-half, or someone in the back three for help with my positioning if I’m on the wing. Communication is so important at that level It’s not about your size or the number on your back, it’s about what you do on the field that counts Kwagga Smith: 'My work-rate rather than my size will define me' September 2024, Rugby Pass by Jon Cardinelli The league has improved a lot since Japan hosted the 2019 World Cup. It’s really fun playing there but it isn’t as easy as everyone thinks. The number of top, world-class players makes the competition really tough The biggest reason I stayed in Japan is the number of games we play and the amount of time we get off. Even with Test rugby, I get a full two months off a year. If you’re playing in Europe, you only get two weeks off here and there It’s easy living compared to the big-city rush, and I can focus on my rugby and not worry about other stuff, Kwagga Smith opens up about life and rugby in Japan, April 2024,THE SOUTH AFRICAN by Luke Menezies External links Category:Rugby union players from South Africa Category:Living people Category:1993 births