Tom Smith (rugby union, born 1971)
Birth name | Thomas James Smith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 31 October 1971 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 6 April 2022 | (aged 50)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 16 st 3 lb (103 kg; 227 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Thomas James Smith (31 October 1971 – 6 April 2022) was a Scottish professional
Education and background
Born to a Scottish mother and an English father, Smith is the great-grandson of
Smith's father died when Tom was six years old. He was first educated at Emanuel School in London before being given a boarder's education at Rannoch School (now closed) in the Scottish Highlands, on the banks of Loch Rannoch.[5] His rugby skills were honed by the school's science teacher. Smith stated: "The things I learnt while playing rugby at Rannoch were work ethic and fitness. Our pitch was covered in snow and frozen solid for three months of the year, so there was a lot of running up and down hills. We were pretty well drilled and were made to work hard. There were times when it was pretty tough and cold out here but at the end of the day rugby is a hard game and you need to be tough to play it".[6]
Club career
Smith's career spanned the amateur and professional game. He started out at the amateur clubs
On professionalism in Scotland in 1996 he joined
In 1998, the
Smith returned to the UK in 2001 to join
International career
Smith earned his first Scotland cap in 1997 in the Calcutta Cup match versus England at Twickenham. Despite only having three caps to his name at the time he was included by coach Ian McGeechan in the squad for the 1997 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa. Surprising many, Smith was selected to start all three test matches alongside Paul Wallace and Keith Wood,[9] in preference to the other touring props Jason Leonard and Graham Rowntree. His strong scrummaging and good hands alongside many other great team performances, ensured that the Lions won over their much more highly fancied hosts and won the series 2–1.
Smith was also selected in the 2001 Lions tour of Australia and played all three test matches of that series, to become the only Scot to play the six consecutive Lions tests matches of 1997 and 2001.
For the next eight years, Smith was to be a first choice starter for Scotland and talismanic figure for the team, winning the Five Nations in 1999 and captaining the side throughout the 2001 Autumn Internationals. Smith was also Scotland's Player of the Season in 2000–01. He was included in the Zurich World XV for 2002, a notional team list that was compiled based on ratings from detailed video analysis of performances during the past year.[10] After an international career that included two World Cups and six consecutive Lions tests, Smith's final match in the blue jersey came, appropriately enough, against England in the 2005 Six Nations clash at Twickenham.[11]
Smith was a fan favourite with the Murrayfield faithful, with many[who?] considering him the greatest loose head prop the team had ever had,[citation needed] alongside Grand Slam-winning captain David Sole.
Coaching
Having retired from playing in 2009, he took on the role of forwards coach at Edinburgh under Rob Moffat.[12]
In October 2008, Smith and Craig Chalmers were announced as coaches for the Scotland national under-20 rugby union team.[13]
In May 2012, it was announced that he had been appointed forwards coach with the French club
Health and death
On 21 November 2019, it was announced that Smith had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, with tumours in his colon, brain and liver.[16] He died on 6 April 2022, aged 50.[17]
Honours
Caledonia Reds
Northampton Saints
- EPCR Challenge Cup winner: 2008–09
- Premiership Rugby third place: 2002–03, 2003–04
References
- ^ "Tom Smith". Rugby World. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ "Thomas James Smith". Espnscrum.com. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ "Blues forwards coach Smith leaves region". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Union Jack, Rob Sawyer, Everton FC Heritage Society, 8 May 2020
- ^ a b "Tom Smith: 'I played right after one seizure – not a good idea'". The Independent. 23 October 2011.
- ^ "Lions 2013: Tom Smith's rugged route to rugby excellence". The Daily Telegraph. 12 June 2013.
- ^ Bill Leith (22 October 2011). "Glasgow's first steps to Europe". The Independent.
- ^ "Ex-Lions prop Smith set to retire". BBC Sport. 22 April 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Davies, Sean (18 May 2005). "History of the Lions: South Africa 1997". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ "Zurich World XV". The New Zealand Herald. 22 December 2002. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ "Smith ends international career". BBC Sport. 4 May 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Smith is Edinburgh forwards coach". BBC Sport. 21 July 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Chalmers and Smith to coach Under 20s". The Herald. Glasgow. 25 October 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ "Tom Smith appointed as forwards coach". Edinburghrugby.org. 21 July 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ "Tom Smith announces retirement from top-class rugby". Northamptonsaints.co.uk. 22 April 2009. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ "Tom Smith: Former British and Irish Lions prop reveals stage four cancer diagnosis". BBC Sport. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- Press Association. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.