RUGBY NEWS - Springbok and Bulls flanker Roelof Smit may have been forgotten after his breakthrough season in 2016, but the opensider is ready to make sure he is remembered again.
He laughs when asked about his nickname – “McCaw” – after the famous All Black fetcher and captain, Richie, but with a similar playing style and a penchant for stealing the ball on the ground, Smit was seen as one of the rising stars of South African rugby.
“That’s still my nickname,” he laughs, “I’ve just got to remind people why again.”
Smit returned this past weekend for the Vodacom Bulls after two horror injuries that kept him off the field for the last 18 months. And the timing couldn’t have been worse. Having starred in the Springboks’ game against the Barbarians, he tore his pectoral muscle on the Monday after the game, resulting in a six-month stint on the sidelines.
And just when he returned to action in the SuperSport Challenge, Smit made it onto the field for eight minutes before receiving a tackle that tore his MCL ligament and left him on the sidelines again in frustrating fashion.
