Nelie Smith passes away
Cornelius Michael Smith, always called Nelie, was born in Bloemfontein on 8 May 1934. He went to Hoërskool Sentraal in Bloemfontein, played for Orange Free State and had a sports shop in Bloemfontein. He was a Free Stater.
He was at the University of the Orange Free State in 1955 when the great Lions came on their 24-match tour.. The match after that great Test at Ellis Park was against Central Universities in Durban. Smith, normally a scrumhalf, played flyhalf that day with Max Prozesky as his scrumhalf. The Lions won 21-14. Smith kicked a penalty goal. In 1957 he played centre for Free State in two matches.
Just before his 22nd birthday, Smith made his debut at scrumhalf for Free State. It was against South West Africa, as Namibia then was, in Windhoek. Free State lost 9-3, but Smith was retained and in their next match they beat Northern Transvaal 8-6 in Bloemfontein. Smith went on to play 60 matches for Free State up to 1965, captaining them 37 times.
Also making his debut with Smith in Windhoek was Sakkie van Zyl who had a long (121 matches) career for Free State. In 1976 he and Smith would coach the Free State when they first won the Currie Cup.
In that year, too, Smith went on a tour to Europe with the SA Students team and in 1959 he toured South America with an excellent Junior Springbok team.
Smith did not find it an easy journey to the top, for the No.1 scrumhalf in the Free State at the time was Popeye Strydom. The Springbok scrumhalves were Dick Lockyear, Piet Uys and then Dawie de Villiers. But 1963 was a good year for Smith.
John Thornett's strong Wallaby side came on a 24-match tour that year. Smith played against them four times. First he captained the Junior Springboks in Springs when they beat the Wallabies 12-5. Two matches later he was a Springbok – chosen for the third Test at Ellis Park. He kicked three penalty goals but, alas, they were the Springboks only scores in an 11-9 defeat. But then he captained the Free State when the beat the Wallabies 14-8 and was back in the Springbok team that won the fourth Test 22-6, thus sharing the series.
The next year it was the SA Rugby Board's 75th birthday. Wales came and South Africa gave them a 24-3 hiding in Durban on a day when Smith scored a try. They left in May and the French arrived in July. Smith was made captain of the Springboks for the first time in what was perhaps the worst Test ever played in South Africa – a scruffy Test at a scruffy ground in Springs, and the French beat the Springboks 8-6, the first in a list of seven consecutive defeats.
In 1965 the Springboks went to Australasia, and Nelie was named vice-captain to Dawie De Villiers. De Villiers could not play in the Tests against the Wallabies. Smith played and captained the side which lost both Tests.He was captain again when the Springboks lost the first Test in New Zealand. In all he played in seven Tests, four times as a winless captain and only twice in a winning side.
In 1966, with Dirk de Vos established as the Free State scrumhalf, Smith moved to Griquas and played for them four times. This was the end of his playing career.
Smith had a sports shop in Bloemfontein but it did not flourish and he turned to what he did best – coach rugby. He coached Free State, became the SA Rugby Board's first coaching organiser, coached Stellenbosch University, Old Greys in Bloemfontein, Eastern Province, Northern Free State, Rovigo in Italy and Ballymena in Northern Ireland, but above all he was the Springboks coach – in 1980 when their crowning achievement was the 3-1 defeat of Billy Beaumont's Lions and then again in 1981 when they beat Ireland and then went off on that tense tour of New Zealand which was vigorously divided into the pro and anti tour groups. The Springboks won the second Test against the All Blacks and could well have shared the series but for the strange ending to the third Test. The Springboks then went to the USA and played a bizarre Test when there were more state troopers present than spectators.
Smith had many tales to tell and worked on lengthy memoirs with the help of Amanda Botha, though it may never see the light of day.
Nelie Smith had a long and uncomfortable illness, dependent on an oxygen tank for breathing. He also had a pacemaker. His wife Orna predeceased him 21 years ago but he is survived by his son Cornelius and his daughters Carin and Annien.
