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Cape Town - There will be two memorial services for former Springbok captain and coach, Nelie Smith, who passed away at the age of 81 on Monday.
The memorial services will take place on Friday, May 6 at 14:00 (NOT 10:00 as previously advertised) in the Dutch Reformed church Welgelegen in Dalsig, Stellenbosch, and on Tuesday, May 10 at 10:00 in the “Klipkerk” in Bloemfontein.
Smith played seven Tests for the Springboks and captained them in four of those. His debut was in 1963 against Australia and his first Test as captain against France a year later.
He also captained the Springboks against Australia and New Zealand in 1965 and scored a try and three penalties for 12 Test points. Smith also played in 12 tour matches for South Africa.
As Springbok coach in 1980-81, Smith won 12 of 15 Tests.
He also served as a Springbok selector for a decade (1971-81).
At provincial level, Smith and Sakkie van Zyl coached Orange Free State to their first Currie Cup title in 1976.
Smith played for Free State in 60 matches between 1956 and 1965 and captained them in 37 matches. He also played for Griquas in four matches in 1966.
Smith also coached the likes of Eastern Province and Northern Free State as well as Ballymena and Rovigo in Ireland and Italy, respectively.
Smith is survived by daughters Carin, Annien and son Cornelius.
