Nelie Smith

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. 9–11 Scrumhalf9 (3 pen) 24 Aug 1963Ellis Park, Johannesburg 2. Australia 22–6 Scrumhalf 7 Sep 1963 Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth 3. 24–3 Scrumhalf 3 (1 try) 23 May 1964 Kings Park, Durban 4. 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. 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 the year 1985, Smith was approached by the Italian club Rugby Rovigo. During a 2 year window he contributed in re-establishing the team as one of the strongest Italian rugby club. He forged a scrum culture, and thereafter contributed in the signing of fellow South Africans Tito Lupini, Naas Botha and Gert Smal. Smith played a crucial role to help Rugby Rovigo secure its 10th national championship in 1988, reaching a back to back final in 1989. His impact in ending a 9 years trophy drought is still a milestone in Rugby Rovigo history, the most rugby-addicted city in Italy.