40-469: John William Smit , OIS , (born 3 April 1978) is a South African former professional rugby union player and former chief executive officer of the Sharks . He was the 50th captain of the Springbok rugby union team and led the team to win the 2007 Rugby World Cup . He played most of his senior career as a hooker , but also won 13 caps as a prop , where he had also played for South Africa's under-21 team. He retired from international rugby following
80-481: A clean sweep of three wins against New Zealand. In the first test against New Zealand, Smit equalled the record of 59 Tests as captain held by Australia's George Gregan and England's Will Carling . The following week, he became the most-capped captain in international rugby history. As of September 2009, Smit is one of South Africa's most successful captains ever, having led the Springboks to victory in 46 of
120-415: A match to spare. This also illustrates the fact that the pool tables do not tell the whole story. From this stage onwards, the tournament adopted a knockout format comprising eight fixtures: four quarter-finals, two semi-finals, a bronze medal match , and the final. The winner and runner-up from each of the four pools advanced to the quarter-finals. Pool winners were drawn against opposite pool runners-up in
160-450: A regular member of the starting XV. Smit's record-breaking sequence of appearances came to an end with South Africa's first match of the 2007 Tri Nations , against Australia, when he suffered an injury that prevented him taking any further part in the tournament. He recovered from his injury in time to take part in the 2007 Rugby World Cup , in which he started in 6 out of 7 South African matches and in which his leadership qualities came to
200-468: A single 10-minute period of " sudden death ". If the contest was unresolved after a total 110 minutes of open play, the winner would be determined by a placekicking competition. In a change from the format of the previous tournament , the top three teams in each pool would qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand; previously, only the eight quarter-finalists gained an automatic place in
240-685: The 2011 Rugby World Cup as the most-capped South African player ever, with 111 appearances. Smit was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame on 24 October 2011 (while still active at club level), alongside all other World Cup-winning captains and head coaches from the tournament's inception in 1987 through 2007 (minus the previously inducted John Eales ). Born 3 April 1978 in Durban , South Africa, Smit attended Wesvalia (then Saamtrek) in Klerksdorp and then went on to Pretoria Boys High School where he
280-569: The British & Irish Lions . Rugby World Cup Tri Nations Order of Ikhamanga The Order of Ikhamanga is a South African civilian honour that recognises achievements in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism, and sports. Before the order was established on 30 November 2003, such achievements were recognised by the Order of the Baobab . The Order of Ikhamanga is granted by
320-509: The President of South Africa to South African citizens . Ikhamanga is the Xhosa name for Strelitzia reginae , a flower. The order has three classes: The egg-shaped badge depicts a rising sun, a " Lydenburg head ", two strelitzia flowers, a drum, three circles, and two roadways. The head represents the arts, the sun represents glory, the circles symbolise sport, and the roads represent
360-1247: The Stade de France and Irishman Alain Rolland refereed the final. The competition was contested over 44 days between 20 different nations, over 48 fixtures. The tournament began on 7 September at the Stade de France with a match between the host nation, France, and Argentina. The tournament culminated at the same venue on 20 October for the final between England and South Africa. [REDACTED] England [REDACTED] Samoa [REDACTED] South Africa [REDACTED] Tonga [REDACTED] United States [REDACTED] Australia [REDACTED] Canada [REDACTED] Fiji [REDACTED] Japan [REDACTED] Wales [REDACTED] Italy [REDACTED] New Zealand [REDACTED] Portugal [REDACTED] Romania [REDACTED] Scotland [REDACTED] Argentina [REDACTED] France [REDACTED] Georgia [REDACTED] Ireland [REDACTED] Namibia Classification within each pool
400-715: The 2007 tournament was the first to be hosted primarily by France, a number of matches during the 1991 and 1999 tournaments were played in France. In 1991, matches in Pool D (which included France) were played in Béziers , Bayonne , Grenoble , Toulouse , Brive and Agen , while Parc des Princes and Stadium Lille-Metropole each hosted a quarter-final. Similarly, in 1999, fixtures in Pool C (which included France) were played in Béziers, Bordeaux and Toulouse, Stade Félix-Bollaert
440-454: The 64 games that he captained, a win percentage of 72%. He has won more tests as captain than any other Springbok has played as captain. On 23 August 2010, he played his 100th Test – only the 15th player ever, and second South African to reach that milestone. After his Springbok retirement his record as captain for the most international games was broken, by Ireland's Brian O'Driscoll in 2012 and New Zealand's Richie McCaw in 2013. During
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#1732780782753480-662: The first place in its qualifying group; Romania defeated Spain 43–20 in Madrid , and also qualified for the World Cup as Europe 2. Namibia qualified for their third consecutive World Cup after they earned their spot in France by defeating Morocco over two legs in November. In late 2006, it was announced that the IRB had withdrawn Colombo as the venue of the final Asian qualifying tournament due to security problems. Japan won
520-537: The first ten hours of release. The remaining tickets – individual tickets and tickets to the semi-finals – were released in phase three in November 2006. In June 2007, it was announced that 2 million of the 2.4 million tickets had been sold in advance of the tournament. The Worldwide partners for the tournament were Société Générale , GMF , Électricité de France , Peugeot , Visa and SNCF , and official sponsors include Heineken , Vediorbis, Capgemini , Orange , Toshiba and Emirates . Gilbert provided
560-460: The following criteria would have been used in the following order until one of the Teams could be determined as the higher ranked: By elevating head-to-head results (rule i) above points difference (rule ii), a notable difference is created to other sports competitions, in which points difference usually determines rank for teams with the same number of match points (table points). These rules allowed
600-701: The following year, Argentina qualified as Americas 1 by defeating Uruguay 26–0 in Buenos Aires . Americas 2 was filled in August when Canada defeated the United States 56–7 in Newfoundland . The United States went on to qualify as Americas 3 after beating Uruguay in a two-legged tie in early October. That month also saw Italy qualify as Europe 1 after defeating Russia 67–7 in Moscow, reaching
640-587: The fore, saw South Africa win the William Web Ellis Trophy for the second time. When Peter de Villiers was appointed as the new South Africa coach in 2008, one of his first decisions was to re-appoint Smit as the captain of the national side. Smit led South Africa in their opening game of the 2008 Tri Nations , against New Zealand in Wellington, but suffered a groin injury when he was lifted and dumped by New Zealand lock Brad Thorn after
680-546: The hosting rights in 2003, beating a bid from England. The competition consisted of 48 matches over 44 days; 42 matches were played in 10 cities throughout France, as well as four in Cardiff , Wales, and two in Edinburgh , Scotland. The eight quarter-finalists from 2003 were granted automatic qualification, while 12 other nations gained entry through the regional qualifying competitions that began in 2004 – of them, Portugal
720-482: The long road to excellence. The South African coat of arms is displayed on the reverse. The ribbon is gold with four cream-coloured lines inset from each edge and a pattern of recurring stylised dancing figures down the centre. All three classes are worn around the neck. The Order of Ikhamanga was designed by Charles Peter Gareth Smart, a graphic designer based in Pretoria, South Africa . The table below lists
760-610: The members of the Order of Ikhamanga. 2007 Rugby World Cup The 2007 Rugby World Cup ( French : Coupe du monde de rugby 2007 ) was the sixth Rugby World Cup , a quadrennial international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board . Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won
800-445: The only Asian allocation after the tournament was moved to Hong Kong. Georgia was 14 points the better of Portugal over two legs to claim the last European place. Tonga qualified through repechage after defeating Korea . The final spot went to Portugal , joining Pool C after beating Uruguay 24–23 on aggregate. Portugal's qualification was the only change in the 20-team roster from the 2003 World Cup, replacing Uruguay, becoming
840-525: The only wholly amateur team to qualify. France won the right to host the 2007 World Cup in 2003, Then it was announced that 6 games would be held abroad, at the request of their neighbouring countries. Four matches would be held in Wales, at Cardiff 's 74,500-seat Millennium Stadium : two Pool B games involving Wales , the match between Fiji and Canada and a quarter-final. Ireland was to have hosted matches at Lansdowne Road , Dublin, but opted out because
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#1732780782753880-455: The opportunity to showcase the regions of France where the wonderful sport of rugby is deeply rooted". French Sports Minister Jean-François Lamour said that "The organisation of this World Cup will shine over all of France because ten French towns have the privilege of organising matches and to be in the world's spotlight." French cities to host games were Bordeaux, Lens, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, St. Etienne, Toulouse and Paris, and it
920-421: The pool stage. In the knockout stage the 12 referees also acted as touch judges, with referee appointments being based on performance from previous matches and selection for neutrality. Referees came from seven different nationalities and three of them made their Rugby World Cup debut. The touch judges came from 10 countries. Tony Spreadbury of England officiated the opening game between France and Argentina at
960-423: The quarter-finals, e.g. the winner of Pool A faced the runner up of Pool B, and the winner of Pool B faced the runner-up of Pool A. In the knockout stage, if a match resulted in a draw after 80 minutes of normal play, further periods would be played to determine an outright winner. Initially, there would be two periods of extra time , 10 minutes each way; if there was no winner after this, then play would proceed to
1000-495: The right to host the tournament. The tournament was moved to the proposed September–October dates with the tournament structure remaining as it was. It was also announced that ten French cities would be hosting games, with the final at the Stade de France. French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said that "this decision illustrates the qualities of our country and its capacity to host major sporting events...This World Cup will be
1040-693: The run-up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup , he was linked with the French club Clermont . He eventually signed a two-year deal with Clermont, effective after the World Cup. Despite his move to France, the South African Rugby Union announced on 20 February 2008 that he would retain his Boks captaincy. . After just one year with Clermont, Smit rejoined the Sharks and the Super 14 side Sharks . Smit captained South Africa in their 2–1 series win over
1080-529: The stadium was being redeveloped. Two of Scotland's Pool C matches were played at Murrayfield Stadium in Scotland. The Scottish Rugby Union was reportedly having doubts in early 2006 about hosting these games and whether Scotland would generate enough market demand, but confirmed in April 2006 that the games would be played at Murrayfield. In the end, the Scotland v. New Zealand match failed to sell out, and
1120-399: The stadium was less than half-full for the Scotland v. Romania match. There was a substantial increase in the overall capacity of stadiums compared to the 2003 Rugby World Cup – the smallest venue at the 2007 tournament could seat 33,900 people. The French venues were the same as those used for the 1998 FIFA World Cup . Around 6,000 volunteers helped to organise the competition. Although
1160-531: The tournament balls, with the Gilbert Synergie match ball used throughout the tournament. This continued Gilbert's involvement with the World Cup, the company having provided the Barbarian (1995), Revolution (1999) and Xact (2003) balls in the past. Along with Gilbert, the official suppliers were Adidas , Coca-Cola , Clifford Chance , Goodyear and McDonald's . The host broadcaster for the event
1200-498: The tournament with a traditional, new and hybrid format all on offer... The French bid, while complying with the tender document in all other respects, fell outside one of the 'windows' in which the IRB wanted to stage an event". England's bids included a two-tier tournament and altering the structure of the qualifying tournament and France had a bid in September/October. It was announced in April 2003 that France had won
1240-415: The tournament. The tender document for the 2007 bidding process was due out on 31 October 2001. Both England and France were invited to re-submit their plans. The International Rugby Board (IRB) stated that both countries must comply with tender document terms in one bid, but in their second option, could propose alternative ideas. The IRB said "England's original proposal contained three plans for hosting
John Smit - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-418: The whistle had blown: Thorn received a one-match suspension but Smit missed the rest of the tournament, being replaced as captain by veteran Springbok lock, Victor Matfield . In 2009, Smit led South Africa to a series victory against the visiting British & Irish Lions , and followed this by leading his team to success in the 2009 Tri Nations , in which South Africa won five of their six matches, including
1320-421: The winners of Pools A, B and C to be determined by the results of the third pool matches on the weekend of 22 and 23 September. Although other teams could theoretically draw level on table points with South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and exceed their points differences at the end of the pool stages, head-to-head results by that time ensured these teams could be declared winners of their respective pools, with
1360-517: Was TF1. Each country was allowed a squad of 30 players for the tournament. These squads were to be submitted to the International Rugby Board by a deadline of 14 August 2007. Once the squad was submitted a player could be replaced if injured, but would not be allowed to return to the squad. The 2007 Rugby World Cup officials were appointed in late-April 2007, with 12 referees and 13 touch judges being chosen to officiate during
1400-482: Was also announced that the final would be at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. The eight quarter-finalists from the 2003 World Cup all received automatic entry, with the other 12 nations coming from qualifying series around the world. Ten of the 20 positions available in the tournament were filled by regional qualifiers, with an additional two being filled by repechage qualification. The qualifying tournament
1440-452: Was based on the following scoring system: Bonus points , contributing to a team's cumulative match-point score, were awarded in each of the following instances (one match point for each event): At the end of the pool stage, teams were ranked from first to fifth based on cumulative match points, with the top two nations proceeding to the quarter-finals. If at the completion of the pool phase two or more Teams were level on Match points, then
1480-400: Was divided into five regional groups; Africa , Americas , Asia , Europe and Oceania . Qualifying matches began in 2004 and were completed in early 2007. Including the automatic qualifiers, over 90 nations were in qualifying contention for the final tournament. In July 2005, both Samoa and Fiji were confirmed as the qualifiers from Oceania, as Oceania 1 and 2 respectively. In July of
1520-507: Was head prefect in 1996 and played for the school's first XV from 1994 to 1996. Smit played his first Springbok game in 2000 at the age of 22, when South Africa beat Canada 51–18 at Basil Kenyon Stadium in East London . Between October 2003 and June 2007, Smit played in a record 46 consecutive Test matches for South Africa, though it was not until 2004, when he was made captain of the squad by then new coach Jake White , that he became
1560-566: Was the only World Cup debutant. The top three nations from each pool at the end of the pool stage qualified automatically for the 2011 World Cup . The competition opened with a match between hosts France and Argentina on 7 September at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis , outside Paris. The stadium was also the venue of the final , played between England and South Africa on 20 October, which South Africa won 15–6 to win their second World Cup title. Both England and France bid to host
1600-571: Was the venue for one of the quarter-final play-offs, and the Stade de France hosted a quarter-final. Ticket sales for the Rugby World Cup were broken up into three phases. The first phase was released in November 2005, when members of the European rugby community, such as officials, players and so on were given the opportunity for various packages. Upon the release of the second phase ticketing scheme, more than 100,000 tickets were sold in
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