'Grateful' Smith departs Bulls for French club

TRANSFER NEWS: The Bulls have confirmed the move of flyhalf Chris Smith whose contract came to and end with the union.

Smith will link up with French club Oyonnax after spending five years at the Pretoria based side since joining in 2020 – donning the blue jersey in 96 appearance across the URC, Champions Cup and Currie Cup competitions.

During his stint – Smith scored 634 points with 84 percent of it coming from the combined appearances in the URC and Currie Cup competitions.

Smith expressed his gratitude towards the Bulls during his five-year stint with the team and highlighted his best memory in a Bulls jersey:

“I am equally thankful as much as I am grateful. I am grateful for the past five years, during which I have had some of the best memories on and off the field. Thank you to everyone who has meant so much to Wilmi [wife] and me. I have a deep care for this place and a deep love for a lot of my teammates and coaches,”

“I have so many great memories that we are taking with us. Winning two Currie cups was very special, but my biggest highlight would have to be putting over that drop goal in the URC quarterfinal against the Sharks at Loftus,”

Smith adds: “When my teammates swarmed and jumped all over me, that was an extraordinary moment and memory that I will keep with for a while. That is probably my greatest rugby memory to date.”

Smith praised the Bulls for his growth as a person as well as a player on and off the field, and also stated that he’s looking forward to his new chapter in France.

“On the field I grew immensely as a player, I was able to learn from and train with some of the best to ever play the game. Off the field, I have made some incredible lifelong friends and special memories that I’ll cherish forever,”

“To the Loftus faithful, thank you for all the support over the years. The club is truly blessed with such passionate and proud fans. I am definitely going to miss this place dearly.”

On his move to France, Smith stated:

“I have only heard good things about rugby in France and I can’t wait to experience it with Oyonnax . I want to contribute to the club as best I can on and off the field whilst continuing to grow as a rugby player, developing my game; which is important to me.”

Image Credits: Bulls