Alan Smith (All Black)
Encyclopedia
Alan Edward Smith, All Black lock, was born on December 10, 1942, in Stratford, New Zealand
. He was born into a farming family in Douglas
, a small settlement east of Stratford, and received his secondary education at Stratford Technical College.
from 1936–39, and his uncle, John (Jack) Walter, was a 1925 All Black. Coming from such a strong rugby
heritage Smith didn't take long to impress, and in 1962 was selected for the Taranaki rugby football team at just 19 years of age. He played for the New Zealand under 23 side which toured Australia in 1963, and first trialled for the All Blacks in 1965. He was selected for the All Blacks for the 1967 tour of Britain
and France
where he first donned the black jersey. However due to the dominance of the Meads brothers, and stiff competition from Sam Strahan of Manawatu, Smith couldn't get a look-in for the test matches.
In 1968 Smith was omitted from the All Black team which toured Australia
and played France at home, but after a good 1969 trial, and stellar performance leading Taranaki to a 9-9 draw with Wales
, Smith was recalled in favour of Strahan. He made his test debut against Wales on 31 May 1969, in Christchurch
, and went on to play the second test as well, both of which the All Blacks won resoundingly.
Smith played the first test match of the All Black tour of South Africa
in 1970, but missed out on selection for the remaining matches. He played four more games while in South Africa, but these proved to be his last for the All Blacks. In four years Smith played 18 matches for the All Blacks, 3 of which were test matches. He scored 1 try against South African Country in East London.
Smith's 1971 season was plagued by injury, but he managed an appearance for Taranaki against the touring British Lions
. This was his last match for Taranaki, retiring after 9 years and 82 games for the "Amber & Blacks".
As well as being a top-level rugby player Smith excelled in cricket
. After retiring from rugby he focused on his pace bowling and played for the Taranaki cricket team in the late 1970s. Apart from sport, Smith has carried on the management of the family farm in Douglas where he lives with his wife Christine.
Stratford, New Zealand
Stratford is the only town in the central Taranaki district of Stratford District, New Zealand. It lies beneath the eastern slopes of Mount Taranaki/Egmont, approximately half-way between New Plymouth and Hawera, near the geographic centre of the Taranaki region. The town has a population of...
. He was born into a farming family in Douglas
Douglas, Taranaki
Douglas is a lowly populated locality and a rural centre in east Taranaki, surrounded by dairy, sheep and beef pastoral farming. It is situated 18 km east of Stratford at the intersection of East Road, Ohura Road, Douglas Road South and Bredow Road. East Road and Ohura Road meet to form State...
, a small settlement east of Stratford, and received his secondary education at Stratford Technical College.
Career
Smith's father, E C Smith, represented TaranakiTaranaki Province
The Taranaki Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876...
from 1936–39, and his uncle, John (Jack) Walter, was a 1925 All Black. Coming from such a strong rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
heritage Smith didn't take long to impress, and in 1962 was selected for the Taranaki rugby football team at just 19 years of age. He played for the New Zealand under 23 side which toured Australia in 1963, and first trialled for the All Blacks in 1965. He was selected for the All Blacks for the 1967 tour of Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where he first donned the black jersey. However due to the dominance of the Meads brothers, and stiff competition from Sam Strahan of Manawatu, Smith couldn't get a look-in for the test matches.
In 1968 Smith was omitted from the All Black team which toured Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and played France at home, but after a good 1969 trial, and stellar performance leading Taranaki to a 9-9 draw with Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Smith was recalled in favour of Strahan. He made his test debut against Wales on 31 May 1969, in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, and went on to play the second test as well, both of which the All Blacks won resoundingly.
Smith played the first test match of the All Black tour of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1970, but missed out on selection for the remaining matches. He played four more games while in South Africa, but these proved to be his last for the All Blacks. In four years Smith played 18 matches for the All Blacks, 3 of which were test matches. He scored 1 try against South African Country in East London.
Smith's 1971 season was plagued by injury, but he managed an appearance for Taranaki against the touring British Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
. This was his last match for Taranaki, retiring after 9 years and 82 games for the "Amber & Blacks".
As well as being a top-level rugby player Smith excelled in cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. After retiring from rugby he focused on his pace bowling and played for the Taranaki cricket team in the late 1970s. Apart from sport, Smith has carried on the management of the family farm in Douglas where he lives with his wife Christine.