Brian Smith, the former Australia and Ireland rugby international who later served as England's attack coach, has died at the age of 59 after a short battle with cancer.
Dual-Code Career
A dual-code back, Smith played six Tests for the Wallabies in union in 1987, representing his nation at that year's Rugby World Cup. While he lined up against Ireland at that tournament, he later made the controversial move to switch his international allegiance and represent them instead, having qualified through his grandmother who was from Wexford.
He would go on to wear the green jersey nine times on the international stage, becoming one of just a few players to represent both nations.
Switch to Rugby League
While he played for Leicester Tigers for a season, Smith then made another dramatic switch as he swapped union for rugby league, joining the Balmain Tigers in Sydney in 1991. After making 37 appearances for the Tigers, he finished his league career with Eastern Suburbs in 1994.
Coaching Career
Following his retirement from playing, Smith moved into coaching, taking roles with the likes of Japanese side Ricoh Black Rams, the Brumbies and the Australian sevens programme. Alongside Michael Foley, he also served as joint head coach at Bath between 2002 and 2004, before becoming director of rugby at London Irish.
In 2008, Smith was linked with replacing Eddie Sullivan as Ireland head coach, but was instead appointed to England's coaching staff under Martin Johnson. Serving as attack coach, he spent three years in the role before resigning in 2011, weeks after Johnson also quit in the wake of England's disappointing World Cup campaign.
Later Years and Tributes
In more recent years, Smith served as Head of Sport and Director of Rugby at Scots College in Sydney, helping to develop the next generation of Australian players - including current Wallabies star Angus Bell.
His death was confirmed by Scots principal Ian Lambert, who said Smith had been battling an "aggressive" cancer. “Brian had been very unwell in recent months and was battling an aggressive cancer,” he told school colleagues. “This is very sad news for our college community and I know it will come as a shock to many of you who knew and worked closely with him. “Our immediate thoughts are with Brian’s wife Lisa, his daughters Ruby and Santana, and his son Chilli.”
