Rugby World

KWAGGA SMITH

WHEN SOUTH Africa’s coaches talk about “battle stats”, they often cite Kwagga Smith as a prime example. Usually deployed off the bench, his impact was a key component of the Boks’ World Cup wins in 2019 and 2023.

At France 2023, he turned over or disrupted 42% of the defensive rucks he hit – the best success rate in the competition (see panel).

A bronze medallist at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Smith owns a pecan-nut farm in Mpumalanga but is currently playing in Japan. RW caught up with him as he recovered

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