Latest news with #JamesSmall
The South African
10 hours ago
- Sport
- The South African
RWC 1995 anniversary: Remembering Springboks' fallen heroes
On the eve of the 30-year anniversary of the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, we celebrate and fondly remember the impact of five Springboks from that iconic occasion who have sadly passed away. James Small, Joost van der Westhuizen, Chester Williams, Ruben Kruger and Hannes Strydom were hugely popular public figures and each of their deaths at relatively young ages understandably rocked South African rugby. Of course, the first member of the tightly-knit squad to pass away was in fact coach Kitch Christie, who succumbed to leukemia in Pretoria in 1998. He was 58. In the first part of this remembrance series, we look back at the career and impact of James Small. James Small Small made his debut for the Springboks against New Zealand in Johannesburg in 1992 and played in 47 Tests until 1997. He scored 20 Test tries, with the last of those in his final match in the Green and Gold, against Scotland – a try which, at that stage, broke Danie Gerber's Test record. However, it was his heroics on defence that are just as much a part of his legacy, with Small's marking of All Blacks great Jonah Lomu in the 1995 World Cup final going a long way to helping the Springboks to victory. In total, Small donned the Green and Gold 60 times, scoring 27 tries. He played Tests against New Zealand, Australia, Western Samoa, Fiji, France, Italy, Romania, England, Scotland, Argentina and the British & Irish Lions. In his provincial, Small played for the Golden Lions (then Transvaal), Sharks (then Natal) and Western Province, appearing in Currie Cup finals for all three sides and lifting the coveted golden cup in the colours of the Sharks and WP, but never with the Golden Lions. Small played 71 matches, scoring 43 tries, for the Golden Lions and the Cats from 1988 to 1992 and again in 1998 and 1999. He was with the Sharks from 1993 to 1996 and played in 67 matches, scoring 48 tries (provincial and Vodacom Super Rugby), and he spent 1997 and the first part of 1998 with Western Province and the DHL Stormers, whom he represented 25 times, scoring 18 tries. Before his sudden death from a heart attack in 2019, the 50-year-old had turned to coaching, and assisted Robert du Preez at NWU-Pukke and the Leopards before joining Pirates Rugby Club in Johannesburg as assistant coach. Small had enjoyed some success in the hospitality industry, with ownership in a popular eatery and night spot Cafe Caprice in Camps Bay in Cape Town. He also had business interests in ADreach, a company specialising in street pole advertising in South Africa. A special player and a unique character, Small is undoubtedly one of the true legends of Springbok rugby. *Keep an eye on TheSouthAfrican as the five remaining articles in this remembrance content series will be published over the next few days Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
30-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
On this day: Springbok dirt-trackers struggle against Romania, joy for Ivory Coast and Samoa knock out Pumas
Springbok wing James Small played against Romania on this day at the Rugby World Cup 1995. Photo: AFP Image: AFP Looking back at the Springboks' second match of the 1995 World Cup — their dogged 21–8 defeat of Romania — you gain a deep understanding that this was still very much the amateur era. Some 28 years later, the Boks would heavily experiment with their combinations against the same team at the France World Cup, winning 76–0 with their eyes almost closed. But in 1995, there was a clear division between the main team and the so-called dirt-trackers. Rugby World Cup 1995 | In retrospective Image: Independent Media Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading At Newlands on May 30, Bulls No 8 Adriaan Richter captained a Bok side that had amassed just 71 caps in total, with James Small contributing 20 of them and fly-half Hennie le Roux 12. Fringe players that day included centres Christiaan Scholtz and Brendan Venter, and fullback Gavin Johnson, while there were debuts for a youthful Krynauw Otto (lock), flank Robbie Brink, and tighthead prop Marius Hurter. Following the spectacle of the opening win over Australia, this was a dramatic comedown. The Newlands faithful did their best to inject life into the match, but they were flogging a dead horse. This untested and largely inexperienced Bok side made blunder after blunder, and the harder they tried, the worse they got. The crowd eventually gave up and entertained themselves with Mexican waves. Romanian rugby was strong in this era, largely because it was the sport of choice in their powerful army, and they were the better team at the breakdowns. The Eastern Europeans' set piece was rock solid. It was just 8–0 to the Boks at half-time, with Richter scoring a try and Johnson adding a penalty. After the break, Richter scored again, and the Boks' other points came from two more Johnson penalties and a conversion. For Romania, flank Andrei Guranescu scored a try, and fly-half Ilie Ivanciuc kicked a penalty. There was entertainment later in the day when World Cup newcomers Ivory Coast delighted spectators in Rustenburg by scoring 18 points against France. The French won comfortably enough, 54–18, but it was a joy to watch the Ivoriennes celebrate the points they scored against their mentors and heroes — France having introduced rugby to the West African country.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Aussie to drive for NASCAR team of legendary NFL coach
Supercars veteran Jack Perkins will live out a lifelong dream after being tapped by an NFL legend to race for his team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Joe Gibbs, a three-time Super Bowl-winning coach, will have Perkins racing for him at Portland International Raceway in August. "I started thinking about competing in NASCAR when I first visited the US in 2008 to watch Marcos Ambrose at Sonoma, and be a spotter for Paul Morris," the 38-year-old said. "It's been a long journey to get here. "I've come close a few times, but we couldn't quite get all the ducks lined up. "To do it now with Coach Gibbs and JGR proves you should never give up." A recommendation by long-time friend and Cup Series crew chief James Small helped pave the path for Perkins. Small, at the helm of the No.19 Toyota driven by Chase Briscoe, moved to the United States after helping Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards to a Bathurst 1000 crown in 2013 as their engineer. Perkins, the son of six-time Bathurst 1000 winner Larry Perkins, has enjoyed a long Supercars career and has been successful in the last decade as a co-driver in the Enduro Cup. He will also contest this year's Bathurst 1000 as co-driver for Blanchard Racing Team's James Courtney. Perkins follows Triple Eight star Will Brown and Tickford Racing's Cam Waters to have made debuts across the NASCAR categories, with three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen racing the Cup Series full-time.
NBC Sports
19-02-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
NASCAR issues stiff penalties to Chase Briscoe's team for violation found after Daytona 500
NASCAR issued severe penalties to Chase Briscoe's Joe Gibbs Racing team for a spoiler violation found after Sunday's Daytona 500. NASCAR issued the following penalties: — Crew chief James Small has been suspended for the next four Cup events through Las Vegas. — Joe Gibbs Racing has been docked 100 team owner points and 10 playoff points. — Chase Briscoe has been penalized 100 driver points and 10 playoff points. — Joe Gibbs Racing has been fined $100,000. NASCAR stated the penalty was a modification to the spoiler, which is a single-source supplied part. Briscoe finished fourth in the Daytona 500. With the penalty, he enters Sunday's race at Atlanta with -67 points.
