Springbok no. 691 · Hooker
John Smit
John William Smit · Sharks, Clermont
111Tests
8Tries
11Tours
22Age at debut
Test career
200020052011
First test
10 Jun 2000, age 22 · Reserve v Canada, Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London
Last test
9 Oct 2011, age 33 · Hooker v Australia, Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
Biography
John Smit was one of the most successful captains in rugby history. Born in Pietersburg on 3 April 1978 and educated at Pretoria Boys’ High, he played for the Sharks and Clermont and won 111 caps between 2000 and 2011.
He captained South Africa 83 times, a world record at the time, and led the team to victory at the 2007 World Cup in France. He also led the Springboks to the 2009 series win over the British and Irish Lions and that year’s Tri Nations title. He played hooker and tight-head prop and appeared at three World Cups.
Test history
111 tests · 83 as captain · 40 points| Date | Opponent | Venue | Position | Result | Province |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Jun 2000 |  Canada | Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London | Reserve | W 51–18 | Sharks |
| 08 Jul 2000 |  Australia | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne | Reserve | L 23–44 | Sharks |
| 22 Jul 2000 |  New Zealand | Lancaster Park (Jade stadium), Christchurch | Reserve | L 12–25 | Sharks |
| 29 Jul 2000 | Australia | Stadium Australia, Sydney | Reserve | L 6–26 | Sharks |
| 19 Aug 2000 | New Zealand | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Reserve | W 46–40 | Sharks |
| 26 Aug 2000 | Australia | Kings Park, Durban | Reserve | L 18–19 | Sharks |
| 12 Nov 2000 |  Argentina | River Plate, Buenos Aires | Hooker | W 37–33 | Sharks |
| 19 Nov 2000 |  Ireland | Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin | Hooker | W 28–18 | Sharks |
| 26 Nov 2000 |  Wales | Millennium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff | Hooker | W 23–13 | Sharks |
| 02 Dec 2000 |  England | Twickenham, London | Hooker | L 17–25 | Sharks |
| 16 Jun 2001 |  France | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Hooker | L 23–32 | Sharks |
| 23 Jun 2001 | France | Kings Park, Durban | Hooker | W 20–15 | Sharks |
| 30 Jun 2001 |  Italy | Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth | Hooker | W 60–14 | Sharks |
| 21 Jul 2001 | New Zealand | Newlands, Cape Town | Reserve | L 3–12 | Sharks |
| 28 Jul 2001 | Australia | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | Reserve | W 20–15 | Sharks |
| 18 Aug 2001 | Australia | Subiaco Oval, Perth | Reserve | D 14–14 | Sharks |
| 25 Aug 2001 | New Zealand | Eden Park, Auckland | Reserve | L 15–26 | Sharks |
| 10 Nov 2001 | France | Stade de France, Paris | Reserve | L 10–20 | Sharks |
| 17 Nov 2001 | Italy | Luigi Ferraris Stadium, Genoa | Hooker | W 54–26 | Sharks |
| 24 Nov 2001 | England | Twickenham, London | Hooker | L 9–29 | Sharks |
| 01 Dec 2001 |  USA | Robertson Stadium, UH, Houston | Reserve | W 43–20 | Sharks |
| 11 Oct 2003 |  Uruguay | Subiaco Oval, Perth | Reserve | W 72–6 | Sharks |
| 18 Oct 2003 | England | Subiaco Oval, Perth | Reserve | L 6–25 | Sharks |
| 24 Oct 2003 |  Georgia | Sydney Football Stadium (Aussie stadium), Sydney | Hooker (C) | W 46–19 | Sharks |
| 01 Nov 2003 |  Samoa | Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane | Hooker | W 60–10 | Sharks |
| 08 Nov 2003 | New Zealand | Docklands Stadium, Melbourne | Hooker | L 9–29 | Sharks |
| 12 Jun 2004 | Ireland | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | Hooker (C) | W 31–17 | Sharks |
| 19 Jun 2004 | Ireland | Newlands, Cape Town | Hooker (C) | W 26–17 | Sharks |
| 26 Jun 2004 | Wales | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | Hooker (C) | W 53–18 | Sharks |
| 17 Jul 2004 |  Pacific Islands | Central Coast Stadium, Gosford | Hooker (C) | W 38–24 | Sharks |
| 24 Jul 2004 | New Zealand | Lancaster Park (Jade stadium), Christchurch | Hooker (C) | L 21–23 | Sharks |
| 31 Jul 2004 | Australia | Subiaco Oval, Perth | Hooker (C) | L 26–30 | Sharks |
| 14 Aug 2004 | New Zealand | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Hooker (C) | W 40–26 | Sharks |
| 21 Aug 2004 | Australia | Kings Park, Durban | Hooker (C) | W 23–19 | Sharks |
| 06 Nov 2004 | Wales | Millennium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff | Hooker (C) | W 38–36 | Sharks |
| 13 Nov 2004 | Ireland | Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin | Hooker (C) | L 12–17 | Sharks |
| 20 Nov 2004 | England | Twickenham, London | Hooker (C) | L 16–32 | Sharks |
| 27 Nov 2004 |  Scotland | Murrayfield, Edinburgh | Hooker (C) | W 45–10 | Sharks |
| 04 Dec 2004 | Argentina | Vélez Sarsfield Stadium, Buenos Aires | Hooker (C) | W 39–7 | Sharks |
| 11 Jun 2005 | Uruguay | Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London | Hooker (C) | W 134–3 | Sharks |
| 18 Jun 2005 | France | Kings Park, Durban | Hooker (C) | D 30–30 | Sharks |
| 25 Jun 2005 | France | Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth | Hooker (C) | W 27–13 | Sharks |
| 09 Jul 2005 | Australia | Stadium Australia, Sydney | Hooker (C) | L 12–30 | Sharks |
| 23 Jul 2005 | Australia | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Hooker (C) | W 33–20 | Sharks |
| 30 Jul 2005 | Australia | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | Hooker (C) | W 22–16 | Sharks |
| 06 Aug 2005 | New Zealand | Newlands, Cape Town | Hooker (C) | W 22–16 | Sharks |
| 20 Aug 2005 | Australia | Subiaco Oval, Perth | Hooker (C) | W 22–19 | Sharks |
| 27 Aug 2005 | New Zealand | Carisbrook, Dunedin | Hooker (C) | L 27–31 | Sharks |
| 05 Nov 2005 | Argentina | Vélez Sarsfield Stadium, Buenos Aires | Hooker (C) | W 34–23 | Sharks |
| 19 Nov 2005 | Wales | Millennium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff | Hooker (C) | W 33–16 | Sharks |
| 26 Nov 2005 | France | Stade de France, Paris | Hooker (C) | L 20–26 | Sharks |
| 10 Jun 2006 | Scotland | Kings Park, Durban | Hooker (C) | W 36–16 | Sharks |
| 17 Jun 2006 | Scotland | Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth | Hooker (C) | W 29–15 | Sharks |
| 24 Jun 2006 | France | Newlands, Cape Town | Hooker (C) | L 26–36 | Sharks |
| 15 Jul 2006 | Australia | Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane | Hooker (C) | L 0–49 | Sharks |
| 22 Jul 2006 | New Zealand | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | Hooker (C) | L 17–35 | Sharks |
| 05 Aug 2006 | Australia | Stadium Australia, Sydney | Hooker (C) | L 18–20 | Sharks |
| 26 Aug 2006 | New Zealand | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | Hooker (C) | L 26–45 | Sharks |
| 02 Sep 2006 | New Zealand | Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg | Hooker (C) | W 21–20 | Sharks |
| 09 Sep 2006 | Australia | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Hooker (C) | W 24–16 | Sharks |
| 11 Nov 2006 | Ireland | Aviva Stadium (Lansdowne Road), Dublin | Hooker (C) | L 15–32 | Sharks |
| 18 Nov 2006 | England | Twickenham, London | Hooker (C) | L 21–23 | Sharks |
| 25 Nov 2006 | England | Twickenham, London | Hooker (C) | W 25–14 | Sharks |
| 26 May 2007 | England | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | Hooker (C) | W 58–10 | Sharks |
| 02 Jun 2007 | England | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | Hooker (C) | W 55–22 | Sharks |
| 09 Jun 2007 | Samoa | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Hooker (C) | W 35–8 | Sharks |
| 16 Jun 2007 | Australia | Newlands, Cape Town | Hooker (C) | W 22–19 | Sharks |
| 09 Sep 2007 | Samoa | Parc des Princes, Paris | Hooker (C) | W 59–7 | Sharks |
| 14 Sep 2007 | England | Stade de France, Paris | Hooker (C) | W 36–0 | Sharks |
| 22 Sep 2007 |  Tonga | Stade Felix Bollaert, Lens | Reserve | W 30–25 | Sharks |
| 30 Sep 2007 | USA | Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier | Hooker (C) | W 64–15 | Sharks |
| 07 Oct 2007 |  Fiji | Stade Velodrome, Marseilles | Hooker (C) | W 37–20 | Sharks |
| 14 Oct 2007 | Argentina | Stade de France, Paris | Hooker (C) | W 37–13 | Sharks |
| 20 Oct 2007 | England | Stade de France, Paris | Hooker (C) | W 15–6 | Sharks |
| 24 Nov 2007 | Wales | Millennium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff | Hooker (C) | W 34–12 | Sharks |
| 07 Jun 2008 | Wales | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | Hooker (C) | W 43–17 | Clermont |
| 14 Jun 2008 | Wales | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | Hooker (C) | W 37–21 | Clermont |
| 05 Jul 2008 | New Zealand | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | Hooker (C) | L 8–19 | Sharks |
| 08 Nov 2008 | Wales | Millennium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff | Tight-head Prop (C) | W 20–15 | Sharks |
| 15 Nov 2008 | Scotland | Murrayfield, Edinburgh | Tight-head Prop (C) | W 14–10 | Sharks |
| 22 Nov 2008 | England | Twickenham, London | Hooker (C) | W 42–6 | Sharks |
| 20 Jun 2009 |  Britain | Kings Park, Durban | Tight-head Prop (C) | W 26–21 | Sharks |
| 27 Jun 2009 | Britain | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | Tight-head Prop (C) | W 28–25 | Sharks |
| 04 Jul 2009 | Britain | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | Tight-head Prop (C) | L 9–28 | Sharks |
| 25 Jul 2009 | New Zealand | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | Tight-head Prop (C) | W 28–19 | Sharks |
| 01 Aug 2009 | New Zealand | Kings Park, Durban | Tight-head Prop (C) | W 31–19 | Sharks |
| 08 Aug 2009 | Australia | Newlands, Cape Town | Tight-head Prop (C) | W 29–17 | Sharks |
| 29 Aug 2009 | Australia | Subiaco Oval, Perth | Tight-head Prop (C) | W 32–25 | Sharks |
| 05 Sep 2009 | Australia | Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane | Tight-head Prop (C) | L 6–21 | Sharks |
| 12 Sep 2009 | New Zealand | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton | Tight-head Prop (C) | W 32–29 | Sharks |
| 13 Nov 2009 | France | Stade Municipal, Toulouse | Tight-head Prop (C) | L 13–20 | Sharks |
| 21 Nov 2009 | Italy | Stadio Friuli, Udine | Tight-head Prop (C) | W 32–10 | Sharks |
| 28 Nov 2009 | Ireland | Croke Park, Dublin | Hooker (C) | L 10–15 | Sharks |
| 05 Jun 2010 | Wales | Millennium Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Cardiff | Hooker (C) | W 34–31 | Sharks |
| 12 Jun 2010 | France | Newlands, Cape Town | Hooker (C) | W 42–17 | Sharks |
| 26 Jun 2010 | Italy | Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London | Hooker (C) | W 55–11 | Sharks |
| 10 Jul 2010 | New Zealand | Eden Park, Auckland | Hooker (C) | L 12–32 | Sharks |
| 17 Jul 2010 | New Zealand | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | Hooker (C) | L 17–31 | Sharks |
| 24 Jul 2010 | Australia | Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane | Hooker (C) | L 13–30 | Sharks |
| 21 Aug 2010 | New Zealand | National Stadium, Johannesburg | Hooker (C) | L 22–29 | Sharks |
| 28 Aug 2010 | Australia | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | Hooker (C) | W 44–31 | Sharks |
| 04 Sep 2010 | Australia | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | Hooker (C) | L 39–41 | Sharks |
| 23 Jul 2011 | Australia | Stadium Australia, Sydney | Hooker (C) | L 20–39 | Sharks |
| 30 Jul 2011 | New Zealand | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | Hooker (C) | L 7–40 | Sharks |
| 13 Aug 2011 | Australia | Kings Park, Durban | Hooker (C) | L 9–14 | Sharks |
| 20 Aug 2011 | New Zealand | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth | Reserve | W 18–5 | Sharks |
| 11 Sep 2011 | Wales | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | Hooker (C) | W 17–16 | Sharks |
| 17 Sep 2011 | Fiji | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | Hooker (C) | W 49–3 | Sharks |
| 22 Sep 2011 |  Namibia | North Harbour Stadium, North Shore City | Hooker (C) | W 87–0 | Sharks |
| 30 Sep 2011 | Samoa | North Harbour Stadium, North Shore City | Reserve | W 13–5 | Sharks |
| 09 Oct 2011 | Australia | Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington | Hooker (C) | L 9–11 | Sharks |