Jean-Pierre Smith (born 24 January 1990) is a

South African __NOTOC__ South African may relate to: * The nation of South Africa * South African Airways * South African English * South African people * Languages of South Africa * Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ...

professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player who plays as a

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

for the

LA Giltinis The LA Giltinis are a former Major League Rugby team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. The team was announced in 2020 and entered the league in the 2021 season as an expansion franchise. The Giltinis, named for a yet-to-be-released ...

Major League Rugby Major League Rugby (MLR or USMLR) is a professional rugby union competition and the top-level championship for clubs in North America. In the 2022 season it was contested by thirteen teams: twelve from the United States and one from Canada. Off ...

(MLR) in the United States. Smith previously played prop for the Queensland Reds. He also played for

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n Super Rugby side the and for the Canberra Vikings in the National Rugby Championship. Smith is the twin brother of Ruan Smith who is also a professional rugby player.

Career

Smith started out his career playing for in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, where he was a member of their youth system between 2009 and 2010 and also made five appearances during the

2010 Vodacom Cup The 2010 Vodacom Cup was contested from 26 February to 7 May. The 2010 Vodacom Cup is the 13th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup is played between provincial rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Prem ...

season. Smith emigrated to

along with twin-brother Ruan at the end of 2010 and were initially based in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. Both brothers linked up with the Australian National Academy and Jean-Pierre was a member of various development sides before heading south in 2013 to join the . Although not named in either the regular or extended playing squads for the

2013 Super Rugby season The 2013 Super Rugby season was the third season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The tournament was won by the Chiefs, who defeated the Canberra-based Brumb ...

, Smith was a member of the Brumbies group that traveled to South Africa and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

for the

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

semi-final and final. He didn't get any game time in 2013, but was named in their extended playing squad for

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. Smith made his Super Rugby debut on 7 March 2014 as a second-half replacement for

Scott Sio Scott Sio (born 16 October 1991) is an Australian rugby union player who plays for the Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership Rugby. His playing position is prop. He made his Brumbies debut during the 2012 Super Rugby season against the Sharks in Canb ...

as the Brumbies defeated the 29-21 in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. Also in 2014, he played at the National Rugby Championship for Canberra Vikings.

Return to Western Province

In July 2015, it was announced that Smith would return to former side for the

2015 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 77th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 7 August to 24 October 2015. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) was t ...

campaign.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, JP 1990 births South African rugby union players Rugby union props Living people White South African people Western Province (rugby union) players ACT Brumbies players Canberra Vikings players Expatriate rugby union players in Australia South African expatriates in Australia South African twins People from Vryburg Alumni of Paarl Gimnasium Stormers players Queensland Reds players Griffons (rugby union) players Brisbane City (rugby union) players LA Giltinis players Lions (United Rugby Championship) players Golden Lions players Rugby union players from North West (South African province)