George Smith (rugby union): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:17, 9 February 2007

Revision as of 01:54, 11 February 2007

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| caps = yes

| weight = 104

| ru_position =[[Rugby_union_positionsRugby union positions#6._Blindside_flanker_ Blindside flanker .26_726 7._Openside_flanker Openside flanker|Flanker]]

| super14 = [[ACT Brumbies|Brumbies]]

| super14years = 2000-present

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}}

'''George Smith''' (born [[14 July]] [[1980]] in [[Manly, New South Wales|Manly]], [[New South Wales|NSW]]) is an [[Australia]]n [[rugby union]] player. He is a [[Rugby_union_positionsRugby union positions#6._Blindside_flanker_ Blindside flanker .26_726 7._Openside_flanker Openside flanker|flanker]] for the [[ACT Brumbies|Brumbies]] in [[Super 14]]. He has won 58 [[Cap (sport)|caps]] for the [[Australia national rugby union team|Australian national rugby union team]] since his test debut in 2000 against [[France national rugby union team|France]] in Paris.

==Career==

Despite his name, he is of Tongan descent. Until late 2006, when he decided to sell his dreadlocks for charity, he was easily recognised on the field by his [[dreadlocks|dreadlocked]] hair style. For a member of the forward pack, he is a relatively small 180 cm and solid 103 kg (5'11", 227 lb); his gameplay around [[Rugby_unionRugby union#Ruck|rucks]] and [[Rugby_unionRugby union#Maul|mauls]] is fearless and frequently turns over the ball in favour of Australia. Smith is known as a work horse around the field. His skills with ball in hand are very rare for a forward yet he is also a damaging tackler in defence. He is widely regarded as the world's best openside flanker, with his major ability stealing ruck ball.

He is often voted Players' Player of the Year {{factFact|date=February 2007}}, awarded for fair-play by his team mates and officials. He has recently been chosen as a member of the [[Wallaby Team of the Decade]], a remarkable feat considering his age and one of only three current players picked. In 2002, he was the first recipient of the [[John Eales Medal]], awarded by the [[Australian Rugby Union]] and the Rugby Union Players' Association to their Player of the Year<ref name=thejohnealesmedal>{{cite news | url=http://www.rupa.com.au/ArticlePage.aspx?PageID=139| title=The John Eales Medal | publisher=The Rugby Union Players' Association | date= [[2006-08-31]] | accessdate= 2006-08-31}}</ref>.

He won the Australian Super 14 player of the year in 2006 <ref name=smithcrownedplayerofseries>{{cite news | url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,19318371-5002381,00.html| title= Smith crowned player of series | publisher=Fox News | date= [[2006-06-01]] | accessdate= 2006-08-31}}</ref>

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* 2005 UK & France

==External Linkslinks==

*[http://www.rugby.com.au/players/wallabies/2006_squad/smith_george,45363.html Wallabies Profile]

*[http://www.brumbies.com.au/act/act.rugby/page/39278 Brumbies Profile]

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==References==

<references/>

{{rugbyunion-bio-stub}}

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[[Category:People of the Sydney Northern Beaches|Smith, George]]

[[Category:Rugby union flankers|Smith, George]]

{{rugbyunion-bio-stub}}