Opinion
Kwagga Smith’s departure from sevens rugby saw him make the Springboks a couple of seasons later.
In 2019, he stood on the podium in a Springboks jumper, not part of the first 23 but still part of their World Cup efforts.
Rassie Erasmus had never entrusted him with a Bomb Squad membership in their big games. Sure, he started against Canada and Namibia, but they did not even have him on the bench when they played their big games.
Now, with the departure of Francois Louw and Duane Vermeulen coming to the end of his playing career, the Boks may have a future spot opening up for Kwagga Smith. Pieter-Steph Du Toit and Siya Kolisi are both hard competitors and world-class specialist flankers.
So does Smith have the potential to play as a starter and break into a back row that has Kolisi and Du Toit? It will be hard and no one said replacing two of the best flankers on this planet was going to be easy.
He has certain attributes that will be invaluable to the side that starts him. Some are rather curious for a forward to possess.
Work rate
He played a total of five games in the course of 2019, and within that racked up a tackle count of 46 successful tackles from 53 attempts. He made a total of 25 carries, accumulating a total of 87 metres.
In the Boks’ draw with the All Blacks, he had a total of 13 tackles from 13 attempts and won one turnover. People who criticised his defensive performance needed an eye check if they persisted after this game.
Sevens speed and ball skills
With his past in the sevens, he has certainly picked up handling skills and blistering pace that few other players possess.
(Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Here are some examples. Against the Waratahs on one account, he found the blindside ball and headed for space, going blind, beating two backs and sprinting to the line with ease.
On another, a grubber kick through from his teammate put him in a one-on-one chase with Bernard Foley. He beat Foley through speed and slid over the line with the ball in his hands.
Here is one iconic example of him bringing his sevens skills and speed to the 15-man game. On a break, he got away to a one-hand chip over the defence, which had a good bounce. That put him in a one-on-one with Waisake Naholo. In the end, it was a tussle for the ball. There was a contest of possession as the two men slid over the whitewash and the Barbarians flanker grounded the ball with the arm.
Another example of him using speed and skill came against the Highlanders in Super Rugby. He made a clean break, and blisteringly sped through on diagonal running lines. He then put in a well timed pass to draw and pass to secure the try for a teammate.
Carrying impact
Let’s have one example. He busted a tackle against the Waratahs, and burst through, going over the whitewash with joy. Here’s another. Against the Waratahs, he cannon-balled himself in between two defenders, and then burst the tackles, went over another and then powered over the line.
He got the ball at the back of a lineout maul against the Stormers, and sniped through, powering over the whitewash.
An example of him combining pace and power came against the Highlanders in Super Rugby. He got the quick tap, kept his body low and hard, powered through two tacklers (one lock, one flanker), and went over the line.
How about another one. He took the ball off a pass, and then powered through two tacklers of the Stormers’ defence, winding up on the line.
Kwagga Smith is a flanker who punches far above his weight. He is merely 90 kilos and has developed into a lean, compact unit of a flanker who has the dynamic running posture to break tackles. He is a big runner, and he is also one with devastating pace that can beat many backs, and he is also a player with wonderful ball skills.
His all-round talent must be harnessed. At this prime time, he is already 27 and this is the pinnacle of fitness and his rugby career. However, potential and performance are two different things, and Smith still has work to do before being considered for the Springboks to break in as a starter. This would mean he needs more game time to prove that he is of the class of Kolisi or Du Toit.
Sadly, he is plying his trade in Japan with Yamaha Jubilo, and no selectors are looking at Japanese rugby, where he is shining. Sadly, all his talent and brilliance may not get him a spot in the Springboks’ squad.
His potential will only be truly realised if he is picked for the Boks and that is if there are selectors in Japan. While he is certainly a very good rugby player, he may not make the Boks.
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