Lions' farmhand to repay 'debt'
WATCH as the Lions’ Springbok flank Albertus Stephanus Smith talks about getting a chance to redeem himself.
Smith, affectionately know as Kwagga, was vilified after he was red-carded for tackling an opponent in their air just before the half-time break in last year’s loss to the Crusaders in the Super Rugby Final.
The Lions were a man short for the rest of the game and, despite their best efforts to come back in the second half, they ran out of time and lost 17-25 on their home ground.
The Johannesburg-based franchise headed to Christchurch this week, hoping to turn the tables against the overwhelming favourites, the Crusaders, in Christchurch on Saturday.
Smith, fronting up to the media before the team departed, said it is ‘awesome’ to be able to play in another Final.
While he has put the horror of the 2017 red card incident behind him, he knows that this is another opportunity to repay the debt many fans still feel he owes the Lions.
“Getting my Springbok colours was one of my dreams,” he said of the Test against Wales in June, adding: “But winning Super Rugby is also one of my dreams.
“It will be the best if we can go and do it [win] down there [in Christchurch].”
Asked about last year’s red, Smith described Saturday’s Final as “another opportunity” which he must use to show what he is capable of.
“Last year I had an opportunity and I slipped up,” he said of his 38th-minute red card at Ellis Park.
He said for a week after that red card incident it was “difficult”.
“I went away to the [family farm], got some quiet time, got away from all the rugby and spent time with my family.
“It wasn’t cynical or something I did intentionally,” Smith said, adding: “I lost focus for a second and because it was in a Final it made such a big difference.”
There was a period this year when his critics said he made a mistake to quit the Sevens circuit, where he was one of the stand-out players, on took up the 15-a-side game full-time.
However, he slowly regained his form and feel he is peaking at the right time.
Smith admitted he has been “struggling a bit” this year.
“I will always give my best in every match. For me, it is just awesome to get back into my stride.”
Asked how – despite his rather smallish frame (180cm and just 90kg) – he still manages to compete with the brutes of the game, the Lions flank said people often underestimate him.
“I grew up on a farm and always work hard on the farm,” he said of the family farm between Lydenburg and Ohrigstad in the Mpumalanga region.
“When I go back, for holidays, I always work on the farm.
“That is what I want to do after rugby.
“We [the Lions] also have a great conditioning coach.”
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