Luke van der Smit
Full nameLuke-Kyle van der Smit
Date of birth (1994-06-29) 29 June 1994
Place of birthSwakopmund, Namibia
Height1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Weight110 kg (240 lb; 17 st 5 lb)
SchoolSouth African College Schools, Cape Town
UniversityUniversity of Pretoria
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker
Current team Valley Fort RFC
Youth career
2013–2015 Western Province
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016 UP Tuks 4 (16)
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2015 Western Province 4 (5)
2016 Eastern Province Kings 6 (0)
Correct as of 11 November 2016

Luke-Kyle van der Smit (born 29 June 1994) is a Namibian professional rugby union player for Valley RFC in Hong Kong, having previously played for Western Province in 2015 and the Eastern Province Kings in 2016.[1] His regular position is flanker.

Rugby career

2013–2015: Western Province

Van der Smit was born in Swakopmund in Namibia, but grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. He attended SACS, also playing first team rugby for them.[2]

Van der Smit didn't earn provincial colours at school level, but was contracted to join Western Province's academy after high school.[3] He played in all twelve of Western Province U19's matches during the 2013 Under-19 Provincial Championship, starting eleven of those. He scored tries in victories over Border U19[4] and Leopards U19,[5] but could not help his side reach the play-offs, as they finished fifth on the log.[6]

Van der Smit was included in Western Province's squad for the 2015 Vodacom Cup and he made his first class debut on 21 March 2015 against Western Cape rivals Boland Cavaliers in Caledon, coming on for the final couple of minutes of the match.[7] He also played off the bench against the Sharks XV the next week,[8] and made his first start against the Border Bulldogs three weeks later, also scoring the first senior try of his career in a 34–6 win.[9] He made one more appearance off the bench against the Free State XV[10] as Western Province finished top of the Southern Section to qualify for the quarter-finals. Van der Smit wasn't named in the team that won their matches at the quarter-final and semi-final stage, and was an unused replacement for the final, with his team losing the match 7–24 to the Pumas.[11]

Van der Smit made two starts and five appearances as a replacement for Western Province U21 in the 2015 Under-21 Provincial Championship and scored a single try against Free State U21.[12] He didn't feature in the play-offs, which Western Province won, beating the same opposition in the final.[13]

2016: UP Tuks

Van der Smit played in the 2016 Varsity Cup for the UP Tuks. He made one start and three appearances as a replacement, scoring tries in matches against CUT Ixias[14] – in a man-of-the-match performance[15] – and NMMU Madibaz[16] within a period of three days to help UP Tuks secure the final semi-final spot,[17] and also featured in their semi-final defeat to Maties.[18]

2016: Eastern Province Kings

Van Der Smit was contracted by the Port Elizabeth-based Eastern Province Kings for the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division. He made his Currie Cup debut in his new side's 35–49 defeat to the Blue Bulls.[19] He made a total of six appearances for the team, but could not prevent them losing all their matches to finish bottom of the log.[20]

References

  1. ↑ "SA Rugby Player Profile – Luke van der Smit". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "Preview: Bishops vs SACS". Rugby365. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "WP Rugby Institute Recruits Top Talent for 2013". Youth Sports Network. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Western Province 62–0 Border". South African Rugby Union. 10 August 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  5. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Leopards 36–45 DHL Western Province". South African Rugby Union. 6 September 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "SA Rugby Log – 2013 Absa Under 19 Competition". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Boland Cavaliers 10–25 DHL Western Province". South African Rugby Union. 21 March 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Western Province 32–12 Cell C Sharks XV". South African Rugby Union. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  9. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Western Province 34–6 Border Bulldogs". South African Rugby Union. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  10. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Toyota Free State XV 29–30 DHL Western Province". South African Rugby Union. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  11. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Western Province 7–24 Steval Pumas". South African Rugby Union. 30 May 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  12. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Western Province U21 22–0 Free State U21". South African Rugby Union. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  13. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Western Province U21 52–17 Free State U21". South African Rugby Union. 24 October 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  14. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – FNB CUT 25–68 FNB UP-TUKS". South African Rugby Union. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  15. ↑ "Luke van der Smit: A flanker with twinkle toes". Varsity Cup. 23 March 2016. Archived from the original on 12 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  16. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – FNB UP-TUKS 45–23 FNB NMMU MADIBAZ". South African Rugby Union. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  17. ↑ "SA Rugby Log – 2016 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  18. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – FNB MATIES 49–11 FNB UP-TUKS". South African Rugby Union. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  19. ↑ "SA Rugby Match Centre – Vodacom Blue Bulls 49–35 Eastern Province Kings". South African Rugby Union. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  20. ↑ "SA Rugby Log – 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
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