Len Smith (rugby)
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Full name | Leonard Herbert Smith | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | 25 March 1918 Paddington, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 26 April 2000 Bexley North, New South Wales | (aged 82)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Centre, Five-eighth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Five-eighth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Len Smith (1918–2000) was an Australian representative
Rugby union career
Smith played with the
Wartime
Smith enlisted in the
Rugby league career
Club career
Smith joined the Newtown Bluebags in 1942 and played with the club until 1948, aside from the 1945 season when he was on active service. He scored 45 tries for Newtown during his five-year career at the club. During the final years of the Second World War, when players and coaches became scarce, Len Smith co-coached the Newtown first grade team with Frank Farrell.
Representative career
He was selected in Sydney Firsts in 1946. In 1947 at age 28 he was selected as captain of Sydney and NSW and won the NSW Player of the Year award.[1]
He debuted for the
He is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No. 247.[2] In 1948 he was also named New South Wales player of the year.
1948 selection controversy
Having just played a key role in the Kangaroos' 3-1 series victory over New Zealand it seemed a mere formality that Smith would be chosen to lead the team of young inexperienced Kangaroos on the end of year 1948 Tour of England. However on the night the side was announced Smith was left out of the party.[1]
It was unfathomable that the current Australian captain/coach having would not be good enough to be selected in the touring squad of 28. There was press uproar at the time and lobbying for a change by Newtown. Some of those involved at the time when interviewed many years later by sporting journalists still spoke bitterly of the episode.[1]
Accolades
In 2008, the centenary year of rugby league in Australia, Smith was named in the Newtown Jets 18-man team of the century.
Dual-code international status
Regarding the 1939
Later life
After football Smith became a respected sportswriter establishing Sporting Life magazine. He was a senior administrator in the harness racing industry and worked for the New South Wales Trotting Authority. He was involved in the 1967 establishment of the Miracle Mile event.[1]
Smith died on 25 April 2000 in St George Hospital following bowel cancer surgery.[1]
Sources
- Whiticker, Alan (2004) Captaining the Kangaroos, New Holland, Sydney
- Pollard, Jack (1984) Australian Rugby Union: The Game and the Players Angus and Robertson Publishing