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Johannesburg - Springbok captain John Smit wants to be the first person to be on the winning side when playing in his 100th Test against All Blacks in a Tri-Nations clash in front of more than 90 000 people at the FNB stadium in Soweto on Saturday.
GALLERY: Highs and lows of Bok rugby
GALLERY: Springboks train at FNB Stadium
VIDEO: John Smit 100 caps tribute
VIDEO: All Blacks offer flight tips
Former Springbok-fullback Percy Montgomery, the current Bok kicking coach, who played in 102 Tests, lost his 100th Test against the All Blacks 19-0 at Newlands in 2008.
“Percy said to me on Friday morning if we win on Saturday I’ll be the first player to play in my 100th Test and win. Nobody has ever done it before,” Smit said at the Springbok team hotel at Montecasino on Friday.
Smit likened the experience to a cricketer reaching his first Test century.
“It’s been an exciting, but nerve wracking time. I was chatting to an ex-coach about it. It’s like when you are at the crease and you are cruising through the 50’s, 60’s 70,’s, 80’s and then you hit the 90’s and then you start to stiffen up.
“If you asked me after my first Test who I would have picked if I wanted to play my 100th , I would have chosen the All Blacks. I have been blessed in many ways in my life and Saturday it’s just another of those occasions.
Smit believes a milestone is often a distraction and if the individual milestone is put aside, the result should take care of itself.
“I can guarantee that we’re the kind of team that will be more wary that the result is more important than one guy running out for his 100th test.
“My phone has been going berserk all week, but I have to put that out of my mind and concentrate on getting a positive result.
“Things have however gone pretty well this week. There are a few guys that probably don’t know what is happening. Everyone will be fully aware of what is at stake on Saturday.
Asked how he has changed as a person and a player during the course of his 99 Tests, he said: “From being a guy, who carries out the water bottles, cleaning the boots of André Venter and being told exactly what to do to someone who finds the middle ground as a 25 year-old and taking up the leadership role. It’s been an amazing journey.”
“When I think back when I made my debut against Canada in 2000 as a 22 year old, the dynamics has changed every year over the past 10 years and I have been fortunate to experience that.
“I think I’ll probably reflect more accurately in about 10 or 15 years when I have a beer with my son and talk about it.”’
When asked who cleans his boots nowadays he burst out laughing by saying: “Things have changed. Youngsters aren’t brought up like they used to be. I’ll have to start picking a few guys to clean my boots.”’
The 32-year old expects the Test in Soweto to be the most outstanding experiences of his career thus far.
“The FNB-stadium almost looks like this cocoon bubble, with the amount of technology and the tremendous facilities on show. If one adds 90 000 people to that, I am expecting it to be the most incredible rugby experiences of my life.
“The last time I played in front of such a big crowd was probably at the Stade de France in 2007 and I am expecting something even bigger than that,” he said.
The Bok captain said he had to experience many highs and lows in his illustrious career thus far but the highs far outweigh the lows.
“I remember when Harry Viljoen was the coach (2001 against Italy) I played in a test in Port Elizabeth. I was substituted by Lukas van Biljon at halftime and was given the man of the match award in 40 minutes. I didn’t see a starting jumper for the next six months,” he said of his lowest point in his career.
“To have stuck through the lows and losing test that you shouldn’t have are the ones that hurt, but all the highs definitely make up for it.
“The highs have been winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the Tri-Nations in 2004 and 2009 as well as the series against the British and Irish lions also last year.
Smit says the Boks are aware that they have been below their best so far this year.
“Our execution has been very poor. The core difference is this year is that the All Blacks haven’t changed their approach too much from last year. But we allowed them to play their brand of rugby this year. We just have to be better in the execution our game and do what we know well much better,” he added.
Johannesburg - Springbok captain John Smit wants to be the first person to be on the winning side when playing in his 100th Test against All Blacks in a Tri-Nations clash in front of more than 90 000 people at the FNB stadium in Soweto on Saturday.
GALLERY: Highs and lows of Bok rugby
GALLERY: Springboks train at FNB Stadium
VIDEO: John Smit 100 caps tribute
VIDEO: All Blacks offer flight tips
Former Springbok-fullback Percy Montgomery, the current Bok kicking coach, who played in 102 Tests, lost his 100th Test against the All Blacks 19-0 at Newlands in 2008.
“Percy said to me on Friday morning if we win on Saturday I’ll be the first player to play in my 100th Test and win. Nobody has ever done it before,” Smit said at the Springbok team hotel at Montecasino on Friday.
Smit likened the experience to a cricketer reaching his first Test century.
“It’s been an exciting, but nerve wracking time. I was chatting to an ex-coach about it. It’s like when you are at the crease and you are cruising through the 50’s, 60’s 70,’s, 80’s and then you hit the 90’s and then you start to stiffen up.
“If you asked me after my first Test who I would have picked if I wanted to play my 100th , I would have chosen the All Blacks. I have been blessed in many ways in my life and Saturday it’s just another of those occasions.
Smit believes a milestone is often a distraction and if the individual milestone is put aside, the result should take care of itself.
“I can guarantee that we’re the kind of team that will be more wary that the result is more important than one guy running out for his 100th test.
“My phone has been going berserk all week, but I have to put that out of my mind and concentrate on getting a positive result.
“Things have however gone pretty well this week. There are a few guys that probably don’t know what is happening. Everyone will be fully aware of what is at stake on Saturday.
Asked how he has changed as a person and a player during the course of his 99 Tests, he said: “From being a guy, who carries out the water bottles, cleaning the boots of André Venter and being told exactly what to do to someone who finds the middle ground as a 25 year-old and taking up the leadership role. It’s been an amazing journey.”
“When I think back when I made my debut against Canada in 2000 as a 22 year old, the dynamics has changed every year over the past 10 years and I have been fortunate to experience that.
“I think I’ll probably reflect more accurately in about 10 or 15 years when I have a beer with my son and talk about it.”’
When asked who cleans his boots nowadays he burst out laughing by saying: “Things have changed. Youngsters aren’t brought up like they used to be. I’ll have to start picking a few guys to clean my boots.”’
The 32-year old expects the Test in Soweto to be the most outstanding experiences of his career thus far.
“The FNB-stadium almost looks like this cocoon bubble, with the amount of technology and the tremendous facilities on show. If one adds 90 000 people to that, I am expecting it to be the most incredible rugby experiences of my life.
“The last time I played in front of such a big crowd was probably at the Stade de France in 2007 and I am expecting something even bigger than that,” he said.
The Bok captain said he had to experience many highs and lows in his illustrious career thus far but the highs far outweigh the lows.
“I remember when Harry Viljoen was the coach (2001 against Italy) I played in a test in Port Elizabeth. I was substituted by Lukas van Biljon at halftime and was given the man of the match award in 40 minutes. I didn’t see a starting jumper for the next six months,” he said of his lowest point in his career.
“To have stuck through the lows and losing test that you shouldn’t have are the ones that hurt, but all the highs definitely make up for it.
“The highs have been winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the Tri-Nations in 2004 and 2009 as well as the series against the British and Irish lions also last year.
Smit says the Boks are aware that they have been below their best so far this year.
“Our execution has been very poor. The core difference is this year is that the All Blacks haven’t changed their approach too much from last year. But we allowed them to play their brand of rugby this year. We just have to be better in the execution our game and do what we know well much better,” he added.
