'Under-appreciated in SA': The reason behind Smith's move to Italy

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The United Rugby Championship returns with a vengeance this week and South African-born and raised Benetton playmaker Rhyno Smith is excited to go against his former team when the Italians march into Durban to face the Sharks.

The Paarl-born playmaker returns to South Africa in Round 17 for what is shaping up as a potential URC play-offs decider, with just one point separating the eighth-placed Sharks and ninth-placed Benetton Treviso on the standings.

Smith, who played for the Sharks between 2016 and 2019 before arriving in Italy after two seasons with the Cheetahs, can’t wait to make his first appearance at Kings Park for Benetton.

“I don’t think it’ll be weird for me to go back to Kings Park, it’s just part of life’s journey,” Smith said.

“I can go and play there and not wonder what should’ve or could’ve been.

“I’ve always wanted to play abroad, and for a long time in South Africa, I think players of my size went under-appreciated for a bit.

"The likes of Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh, what they brought through was a new wave of players and style, and now taken to a new level by guys like Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse.

“With the previous mindset and growing up in Paarl, I always thought there was a market for me abroad, and always liked the idea of living overseas as well.

“So I’m very happy where I’m at now, and grateful for the opportunity with Benetton, and getting to explore this exciting adventure.”

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Able to play fullback, wing or flyhalf, the 30-year-old finished third among point-scorers in the 2021-22 URC, and is champing at the bit to showcase his skills in a hardworking Benetton back three.

“I always backed myself as a goal-kicker, but found myself in teams with good goal-kickers, like Curwin Bosch [at the Sharks], and there was also Pat Lambie and Garth April,” he said.

“By the time I got to the Cheetahs we had Tian Schoeman initially, and then Ruan Pienaar and I’m not going to argue with Ruan, whose stats speak for themselves. Between him and Frans Steyn, there were always goal-kickers.

“The boat just always missed me, so I was very happy to get the opportunity last year [with Benetton] to consistently be a goal-kicker and try to put my best foot forward with the newfound responsibility. This year it’s been on the back burner but I’ll be ready when they need me.”

Benetton opened their 2022-23 URC account in week one with a convincing 33-11 win against the Glasgow Warriors, and Smith isn’t surprised that the Italian side are now in the hunt for a spot in the knockout stages with two rounds remaining.

“Benetton have overcome a lot of challenges and hurdles that people might not be aware of, and have really come a long way, and something like being in the Play-Offs race at the end of the season is a massive positive,” he said.

“And what really gives us confidence is that we’ve beaten almost every team in the top eight, except for Leinster and coming really close against Munster, the last two years.

“These Italian boys really work hard to nurture their gift, because - no disrespect - but touch rugby is not something they grow up playing on the beach, it's football. And also because of their willingness to go to battle and make it a dogfight.”

Smith is ready to step up against an all-Springbok halfback pairing of Sharks flyhalf Bosch and scrumhalf Grant Williams, adding: “Grant and Curwin are both high-quality players and really talented and I’m happy to see their careers blossoming the way they have.

“Both are dangerous players in their own right; Curwin’s quick feet and kicking ability, and Grant’s speed, are just a few of the things we need to look out for.”