Australian rugby has been rocked with the news that George Smith, the Wallabies most capped forward, has retired from international rugby and has been formally granted a release from the Brumbies to play overseas at the end of the coming Super 14 season.
The 29-year-old announced he is stepping down from international rugby immediately and will leave the Brumbies at the end of this year’s Super 14 campaign.
Smith, who has three children under the age of five with wife Louise, says he is aiming to secure a move overseas after the Super 14 season but has no concrete plans in place.
“The decision to retire is a very difficult one for me,” Smith told reporters at the Australian Rugby Union’s Sydney headquarters.
“I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching for the past few months and I do feel I can still play top level rugby for years to come.
“But this decision is largely based about the most important people in my life – my family.
“They’ve made a lot of sacrifices during my career and now is the time to give back to my family, spend more quality time with them and have the chance to experience a different culture and experience it together as a family.”
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans paid Smith the ultimate compliment, saying he was the greatest No.7 in Australia’s rugby history.
“He’s right up there,” Deans said when asked how Smith compared to the other flankers he’d coached.
“He’s the best to have ever pulled a Wallabies jersey on, simply by the weight of numbers.
“You look at the number of games he’s played in a tough position. No-one has gone as long and as consistently.”
Smith, who twice won the John Eales Medal and collected the Brumbies Players’ Player award on eight occasions, says he’s keen to end his time in Australia with a Super 14 crown.
“I’ll be making sure all the players at the Brumbies are keen to win the title,” he said.
“It’s my last year and it would be a great way to go out.”
Smith has been under increasing pressure to hold onto a starting spot in the Wallabies lineup following the emergence of young gun David Pocock.
The Western Force backrower was preferred to Smith for the bigger matches during last year’s Spring tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Smith, who played in the 2003 and 2007 World Cups for Australia, made his international debut in 2000.
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February 5th 2010 @ 12:04pm
Robbo said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:04pm | Report comment
George Smith:
The greatest 7 in Australian history.
Most capped forward in Australian rugby history.
What else can you say?
February 5th 2010 @ 12:10pm
MarkR said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:10pm | Report comment
Farewell George, as a rugby fan it’s been a pleasure watching your battles. As a Kiwi I breath a sign of reilef similar to when Horan & Eales retired.
February 5th 2010 @ 12:11pm
Bob said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:11pm | Report comment
That’ll do pig, that’ll do.
February 5th 2010 @ 12:16pm
CraigB said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:16pm | Report comment
Well done George and thanks for everything. Its been a pleasure watching you go around. Can I ask one last favour? How about one last S14 title, just for old times sake!
February 5th 2010 @ 12:16pm
Johno R said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:16pm | Report comment
I hope this was purely Smith decision and he was not pushed. He has been such an amazing servant to Australia Rugby.
February 5th 2010 @ 12:21pm
LeftArmSpinner said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:21pm | Report comment
pushed? exemplary playing and behaviour record. good guy, selfless. Rumour is that he is joining the tahs. new lifestyle!!!! only kidding.
February 5th 2010 @ 12:22pm
Who Needs Melon said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:22pm | Report comment
Like most, I’ll be hugely disappointed to see him go but 2 things at least:
1) He’s going out virtually on top and on his own terms, and
2) He’s not leaving a huge vacuum behind him.
Players like Gregan, Larkham, Latham, etc. might have had 1 of the above but I think with GS we’ve got both. There’s no doubt George could have kicked on and would have made the Wallaby side – if not as a starter at least as a reserve so he’s definitely still up there. But at the same time I think Pocock is JUST coming of age so we hopefully won’t be left with a huge hole to fill. Phil Waugh will be an able enough reserve for the next year or so until (hopefully) some other new tyro starts nipping at Pococks heels.
I look forward to someone putting a George Smith highlight reel together.
February 5th 2010 @ 12:33pm
ohtani's jacket said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:33pm | Report comment
I think it’s a good call on Smith’s part. His form hasn’t been great in recent years and since no side really wants to play a specialist openside on the bench these days it was kind of sad to see him struggle at No.8 or have Deans messing around with two opensides.
Bit of pressure on Pocock not to flake out in his second season as a starting player but if he can take the bull by the horns then it will probably be better for Australian rugby in the long run.
February 5th 2010 @ 12:36pm
Pat said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:36pm | Report comment
Greatest Wallaby since Campese?
February 5th 2010 @ 12:40pm
Spiro Zavos said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:40pm | Report comment
It seems like only a short time ago that I read an article in the SMH by Phil Wilkins about a phenomenally talented young loose forward who had been snapped up by the ACT Brumbies franchise. George Smith was another of the great NSW talents not really wanted in his own state. On his day and in his prime he was simply – as Robbie Deans said – Australia’s greatest number 7.
He was indestructible and fair, although his deliberate? late tackle on Justin Marshall broke the ribs of NZ’s best player in the semi-final of the 2003 RWC. Smith, like Eales, imposed himself on opposition forwards without having to fight. In his last Test against Wales he snaffled several crucial turnovers and proved to himself and to Wallaby supporters he still had it.
Why is he going?
First, David Pocock has moved ahead of him as the Wallaby number 7. Pocock is going to get better while Smith can only move back from his great heights.
Second, as he says, he has a young family and Super Rugby and Tri-Nations, especially in a RWC year, take players away from home for great chunks of the year. Eales told me that in one RWC year he was away from home over 200 days.
Third, if he wants a good overseas contract, the year before the RWC is the time to go on the market. After 2011, there will be a glut of good NZ and South African and Australian (Phil Waugh?) players looking for rugby contracts in France, Japan and the UK.
A couple of years overseas and who knows, he could finish off his rugby with the Melbourne Rebels.
A great player is leaving the Test scene and we have been privileged to see his career work itself out in such a splendid way. Thanks for the memories …