Player Of The Week
William Small Smith - Photo on home page courtesy of SA Rugby and Gallo Images
William Small-Smith
One of South Africa’s brightest young rugby stars are William Small-Smith of Grey College in Bloemfontein. Small-Smith is head boy of South Africa’s premier rugby school for 2010. He will be one of Grey College’s stalwarts during the season.
“One of Grey’s strong points is that they have a unique rugby team year in and year out. So every year the team can build on the foundation that the team of the previous year laid. This year we will have to fill the boots of big guys, but I know we have the ability and drive to do it. What keeps the guys from Grey College keeping their feet on the ground is the fact that every pupil has the same pride and respect for the first team even if they don’t play for them,” said Small-Smith.
The question is can the team of 2010 achieve the great results of the teams that preceded them. “The team of 2010 has the ability to be a unique team. All depends on the disposition of the players. Talent alone can’t make a team unique, it’s rather the disposition their playing with.”
“Personally I want to do my best for my school on the rugby field in my last year. I believe the rest will then follow. Cravenweek and SA Schools are every young man’s dream, but I’m not in control over what happens with it. All I can do is to make sure I play to the best of my ability and keep my head right,” said Small-Smith.
He represented Grey College’s first team at wing last year after captaining the Free State u16-team from centre at the Grant Khomo-week in 2008. He didn’t make the cut at centre for the Free State’s Cravenweek-side last year after playing in both of their warm-up matches against Griqualand West and Griffons.
He had to make way for his school team mate, Francois Venter, who was selected for the South African schools’ side in 2008. Venter struggled with an injury and was given a chance to recover in time. He however injured his ankle in Free State’s match against the Blue Bulls at Bondedag in Johannesburg. Small-Smith was however already in Pretoria to play for the Free State Academy-side in Pretoria at the national Academy-week.
Small-Smith didn’t let the disappointment of not making the Cravenweek-squad to East London bring him down. He and Paul Jordaan (Grey College) formed a formidable pairing in the midfield and helped the Free State reach the unofficial final of the tournament in which they had to bend the knee 21-27. Most supporters of the Free State will tell you that both centres had to leave the field due to injury in the match and this is what caused the team to lose.
Both of them was selected in the South African Academy-side which attented the Coca Cola Cravenweek. Jordaan however had to withdraw due to his injury sustained in the match against the Blue Bulls. Small-Smith more than impressed the national selectors at the Cravenweek in East London. He had two great performances in his team’s first two matches against Zimbabwe (44-17) and KwaZulu-Natal (0-23). He sustained concussion in the match against KwaZulu-Natal and missed out on his team’s final match.
Rumour has it that when the South African Schools’ side was selected after the matches on the Thursday of the week Small-Smith was in the starting line-up. They however had to remove him from the squad due to his injury. Small-Smith did get his chance to put on the Green and Gold jersey when he was included in the national High Performance squad who played against France and Namibia.
He played at wing for the first team last year and is sure to move back to centre in 2010. “I must say I enjoy playing in the midfield more than on the wing, but I shall play were my school needs me. If Grey played me at prop, I will try my best. Any position in the Grey-jersey is good enough for me,” said Small-Smith.
Small-Smith believes every game for Grey College is a tough match to play. “For every opponent of Grey College the match against our team is their biggest game of the season. We try to approach every game the same way, but the three games on our home ground this year will be something special for us,” said Small-Smith.
Representative Honours
High Performance u18 – 2009
SA Academy – 2009
Free State Academy u18 – 2009
SA Academy – 2009
Free State Academy u18 – 2009
Grey College – 2009-10
Free State u16 – 2008
School of Rugby
By Hannes Nienaber
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