Australia’s most capped forward George Smith announced his retirement from international rugby yesterday.
The 29-year-old was granted an early release from his current contract after saying he wanted to spend more time with his family after more than a decade in the national side.
“Although I believe that I could play competitive rugby at the highest level and contribute to the Wallabies for many years to come, I know in my heart that this is the right time to step aside,” Smith said in a statement.
Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O’Neill said he had pleaded with Smith to play on until next year’s World Cup in New Zealand.
“When he made it clear that his passion for international rugby was not the driving force it once was, we agreed there were suitable grounds for an early release,” O’Neill said. “We could have insisted he see out his contract and blocked any opportunities to play the game overseas before the next rugby World Cup. His wholehearted commitment over 10 years, however, deserves special consideration.”
Smith said he would play out this year’s Super 14 season for the ACT Brumbies, but his decision to quit the international game is a massive blow for the Wallabies as they build toward next year’s World Cup.
The Wallabies have struggled over the past few seasons after the retirement of several senior players, including George Gregan and Steve Larkham, and coach Robbie Deans said Smith would be sorely missed.
“You only have to look at the statistics of his career to realize what a special player George is,” Deans said. “Not only has he been a great team man, he has been a fine leader of young men as a role model, both as a player and as a captain.”
Smith was a member of the Wallabies team that made the 2003 World Cup final and won numerous awards, including the John Eales Medal as Australia’s best player, on two occasions.
He was not a big flanker by current standards, nor was he especially fast, but he was a master at pilfering the opposition’s ball.
Smith learned his skills playing rugby in the backyard with his older brothers. As one of eight children born and bred in Sydney’s northern beaches, he discovered from a young age that he had to come up with a plan to get the ball from bigger opponents.
Now a father himself, he said the main reason behind his decision to retire was to spend more time with his own family, which includes three children under the age of five.
“It has become increasingly difficult for me to spend large periods of time away from home and my family, and this is something that I would like to change,” Smith said.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set