Nelie Smith

Nelie Smith

Birth name	Cornelius Michael Smith
Date of birth	8 May 1934
Place of birth	Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, Union of South Africa (now Free State)
Date of death	2 May 2016(2016-05-02) (aged 81)
Place of death	Strand, Western Cape
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	77 kg (170 lb)
School	Hoërskool Sentraal, Bloemfontein
University	University of the Free State
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrumhalf Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) Collegians (Bloemfontein) () Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 1956–1965 Free State 60 () 1966 Griqualand West 4 () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1963–1965 South Africa 7 (12) Coaching career Years Team – Free State 1980–1981 South Africa – Eastern Province – Northern Free State – Ballymena R.F.C. 1985–1989 Rovigo

Cornelius Michael 'Nelie' Smith (8 May 1934 – 2 May 2016) was a South African rugby union player and coach.

Playing career

Smith made his provincial debut at scrumhalf for Orange Free State during the 1956 season and went on to play 60 matches for Orange Free State, captaining them 37 times. He also played four matches for Griqualand West.

He made his test debut for the Springboks during the Australian rugby tour of 1963 in the third test on 24 August 1963 at the Ellis Park in Johannesburg. South Africa lost the match 9–11, with Smith scoring all nine points. Smith scored twelve points in seven test matches for South Africa and captained the team in four tests. He also played in twelve tour matches and scored a further nine points for the Springboks.

Test history

No.	Opponents	Results (SA 1st)	Position	Points	Dates	Venue
1.	Australia	9–11	Scrumhalf	9 (3 pen)	24 Aug 1963	Ellis Park, Johannesburg
2.	Australia	22–6	Scrumhalf		7 Sep 1963	Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth
3.	Wales	24–3	Scrumhalf	3 (1 try)	23 May 1964	Kings Park, Durban
4.	France	6–8	Scrumhalf (c)		25 Jul 1964	PAM Brink Stadium, Springs
5.	Australia	11–18	Scrumhalf (c)		19 Jun 1965	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
6.	Australia	8–12	Scrumhalf (c)		26 Jun 1965	Lang Park, Brisbane
7.	New Zealand	0–13	Scrumhalf (c)		21 Aug 1965	Carisbrook, Dunedin

Coaching career

Smith coached numerous teams, both in South Africa and internationally. His first big success as a coach was in 1976, when he and Sakkie van Zyl, coached the Orange Free State to its first Currie Cup title. He was the Springboks coach in 1980 when the Springboks defeated Billy Beaumont's Lions and in 1981 he was the coach during the Springbok tour of New Zealand and the United States.

In 1985, Smith was approached by the Italian club Rugby Rovigo, which in a 2 years window he contributed in re-establishing as one of the strongest Italian sides. Forging a scrum culture, then contributing in signing fellow South Africans Tito Lupini, Naas Botha and Gert Smal, Smith was capable to gain Rugby Rovigo his 10th national championship in 1988, reaching a back to back final in 1989. His impact in putting a 9 years drought to an end is still a milestone in Rugby Rovigo history, the most rugby-addicted city in Italy.

See also

• List of South Africa national rugby union players – Springbok no. 389