Juan: Boyish smile hides hardened vet
The boyish smile on the face of Juan Hugo Smith masked the trauma that he endured in the past four years, when it seemed an Achilles injury ended his career.
At 33, with 69 Test caps for South Africa, he is one of the most seasoned players in the Springbok team to face Argentina in Salta on Saturday.
Captain Jean de Villiers, also 33 and 97 Tests, and recalled prop Gurthrö Steenkamp, 33 and 51 Tests, are among the few that can match him for experience in the team that will take to the field at Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena.
Smith is the epitome of a player who overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to return to the international arena, after it seemed his career had come to an abrupt end.
On 25 February 2011, in a Super Rugby match against the Bulls in Bloemfontein, Smith tore his Achilles tendon, which caused him to miss the rest of the 2011 Super Rugby season, as well as the Tri-Nations and the 2011 World Cup.
In April 2012, Smith announced that he would be taking an indefinite break from the game due to the ongoing battle with his Achilles injury. He had had four operations on the injury, but was concerned that the recovery was taking longer than he had hoped.
Despite making his long-awaited comeback for the Cheetahs, playing against the Bulls in a pre-season game in February 2013, the results of a subsequent MRI scan forced Smith to announce his retirement from the game.
However, after a chance meeting with another Bloemfontein surgeon and further surgery, Smith announced in September 2013 that had been persuaded to come out of retirement and had signed a deal with RC Toulonnais.
Smith's 2013 season return to the game resembled a fairytale story, only surpassed by his return to the Bok squad this week.
With Toulon he won the European Cup On May 24 this year, when Smith scored the decisive try in the 60th minute of the Final against Saracens. ] He also played a crucial part in the final of the French Top 14 a week later, on May 31, in which Toulon defeated Castres Olympique to win the title for the first time since 1992.
And he capped the remarkable comeback when earlier this month August Smith was recalled to the Springboks team for the Rugby Championship against New Zealand, Australia and Argentina.
Saturday he will his first Test since November 2010, when the Boks beat England 21-11 at Twickenham.
While he has "gained experience" in the last four years, Smith said he has not changed anything in his personality or the way he plays the game.
"I still enjoy rugby as I have always enjoyed it, but the truth is that this call is somehow the cherry on the cake for my career," he told a media briefing at the team's training base in Buenos Aires.
On Saturday he will go up against Toulon teammate Juan Fernández Lobbe, "one of the nicest guys I know" and a close friend.
"Not only do we play for the same club, but we also compete for the same position," he said of their French club.
However, in Salta on Saturday they will be fierce rivals, especially as they will go head-to-head in the line-outs.
"The line-out is an aspect [of our game] we need to improve in," Smith said, adding: "We are well aware that Juan [Fernández Lobbe] is a specialist in this aspect and will pose a major threat to us."
Smith said the Boks were "not" surprised at how tough the Pumas were to overcome in a narrow 13-6 win and a rain-drenched Loftus Versfeld last week.
"They came into the tournament very well prepared and brought the physicality we expected of them.
"This game [on Saturday] is likely to be even more intense."
