Gert Smal

{{Infobox rugby biography

| name = Gert Smal

| image =

| caption =

| birth_name = Gert Petrus Smal

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|12|27|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Kimberley, South Africa

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|m=1.98}}{{SA Rugby Player Profile | id=46932 | name=Gert Smal | date=30 May 2016}}

| weight = {{convert|120|kg|stlb|abbr=on}}{{cite web| url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/one-smal-step-for-ireland-26488931.html | title=One Smal step for Ireland | work=Irish Independent|date=26 November 2012 |accessdate=31 March 2014}}

| allblackno =

| allblackid =

| ru_position = Flanker

| ru_currentposition =

| ru_currentteam =

| ru_amupdate =

| repteam1 = SA Gazelles

| repteam2 = Junior Springboks

| repteam3 = SA Defence Force

| repteam4 = South Africa

| repyears1 = 1984

| repyears2 = 1986

| repyears3 = 1986–1987

| repyears4 = 1986–1989

| repcaps1 =

| repcaps2 =

| repcaps3 =

| repcaps4 = 6

| reppoints1 =

| reppoints2 =

| reppoints3 =

| reppoints4 = 4

| ru_ntupdate = 31 July 2019

| years1 = 1980–1983

| years2 = 1984–1985

| years3 = 1986–1990

| clubs1 = {{Rut|Western Transvaal}}

| clubs2 = {{Rut|Maties}}

| clubs3 = Rugby Rovigo

| apps1 =

| points1 =

| ru_clubupdate =

| ru_currentclub =

| province1 = Western Province

| provinceyears1 = 1984–1993

| provinceapps1 =

| provincepoints1 =

| ru_provinceupdate =

| repsevensyears1 =

| repsevensteam1 =

| ru_sevensupdate =

| coachteams1 = {{Rut|Border Bulldogs}}

| coachteams2 = {{Rut|Western Province}}

| coachteams3 = {{Rut|Stormers}}

| coachteams4 = {{nrut|South Africa}}

| coachteams5 = {{nrut|Ireland}}

| coachteams6 = {{Rut|Western Province}}

| coachteams7 = Toyota Verblitz

| coachyears1 = 1998–1999

| coachyears2 = 2000–2002

| coachyears3 = 2003–2005

| coachyears4 = 2004–2007

| coachyears5 = 2008–2013

| coachyears6 = 2014–2018

| coachyears7 = 2019-present

| ru_coachupdate = 31 July 2019

| other =

| occupation =

| family =

| spouse = Patti

| children = Dean
Tamarin

| relatives =

| school = Hoërskool Kroonstad

| university =

}}

Gert Petrus Smal (born 27 December 1961, Kimberley, South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player and assistant coach of the South African and Irish national rugby union teams. He is currently the forwards coach at Japanese Top League team Toyota Verblitz.

Playing career

=Club career=

Gert Smal was a flanker with Western Transvaal from 1980 to 1983 then played with Stellenbosch University from 1984 to 1985. After the appointment of former Springboks coach Nelie Smith for the Italian club Rugby Rovigo, he moved there in 1986, soon becoming a key element for the achievement of two national titles (1988 and 1990), alongside fellow South Africans Naas Botha and Tito Lupini. During his time in Italy, he also helped Rugby Rovigo reach another final (1989). The Smith-Lupini-Botha-Smal era is still fondly remembered in Rovigo, the most rugby addicted city in Italy, for the impact it had in ending a 9 years winning drought for the team.

=Provincial/International career=

Smal had a limited international playing career due to the international boycott of South African sports teams because of the apartheid regime which ended in 1992. He captained South African Gazelles (U24 side) in 1984. He turned out for the Springboks against the touring New Zealand Cavaliers in 1986, against a World Invitation XV in 1989 and a Serge Blanco World XV team against France.{{cite web|url=http://www.irishrugby.ie/283_12549.php|title=Gert Smal Joins Ireland Management Team|publisher=Irishrugby.ie|date=2008-06-19|accessdate=2009-12-17}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}

He also represented Western Province between 1984 and 1993 and the South African Defence Forces in 1986 and 1987.

==Retirement from playing==

On the Australasian tour with Western Province in 1993, during a match against Queensland, Smal received a blow in the mouth causing him to lose vision in the bottom corner of his left eye forcing his retirement from playing.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/one-smal-step-for-ireland-1516247.html|title=One Smal step for Ireland|date=2008-11-01|accessdate=2009-12-17|newspaper=Irish Independent}}

Coaching career

Following the end of his playing career, he was appointed to a number of key coaching positions in South Africa and held coaching positions at the Border Bulldogs (1998–99), Western Province (2000–02) when they twice won the Currie Cup and then with the Stormers in the Super 12 between 2003 and 2005, reaching the semi-finals in 2004.

In 2004, Smal was appointed to the South African team management as assistant coach to Jake White, during which time the Springboks won the Tri-Nations championship in 2004 before winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup. When Jake White was replaced by Peter de Villiers as head coach following the world cup in 2007, Smal offered to develop rugby in the Eastern Cape but was turned down by the South African Rugby Union

In June 2008, Smal was appointed forwards coach to the Irish National team under Declan Kidney.{{Cite web|date=2008-06-19|title=Gert Smal Joins Ireland Management Team|url=https://www.irishrugby.ie/2008/06/19/gert-smal-joins-ireland-management-team/|access-date=2021-10-15|website=Irish Rugby|language=en-US}} During Smal's time at Ireland, they won the 2009 Six Nations completing the Grand Slam for the first time in 61 years. His assistance was key in Ireland's victory over the 2007 World Champions and Tri Nations 2009 champions South Africa during the 2009 Autumn Internationals where he taught the Irish pack some Afrikaans so that they could read the opposition's line out calls.{{cite web|url=http://www.sarpa.net/view_article.php?id=304|title=Irish read Afrikaans calls at Croke Park|publisher=The South African Rugby Players Association|accessdate=2009-12-16|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100823235844/http://www.sarpa.net/view_article.php?id=304|archivedate=23 August 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_5734146,00.html|publisher=Planet Rugby|title=Big problem was Smal - Matfield|date=2009-11-30|accessdate=2009-12-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091203120338/http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_5734146,00.html|archive-date=3 December 2009|url-status=dead}}

In June 2011, he signed a contract extension with the IRFU.

Smal was forced to miss the remainder of the 2012 Six Nations Championship after an eye condition struck him. His temporary replacement was Munster forwards coach Anthony Foley.{{cite web|url=http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/25708.php|title=Gert Smal Update|date=24 February 2012|work=irishrugby.ie|accessdate=24 February 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120908114156/http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/25708.php|archivedate=8 September 2012}}

Smal's contract with Ireland ended in 2013 after which he chose to return to South Africa. In 2014, Smal was appointed the Director of Rugby at{{Rut|Western Province}}.{{cite press release | url=http://thestormers.com/smal-appointed-as-western-province-director-of-rugby/ | title=Smal appointed as Western Province Director of Rugby | publisher=Stormers | date=31 March 2014 | accessdate=31 March 2014}} He then left Western Province in 2019 to join Jake White at Japanese club team Toyota Verblitz where he is currently the forwards coach.