Smit ready to silence the doubters again

IT HAS taken John Smit the best part of four years but, finally, at the tail-end of his Springbok career, he has been able to silence the voices that dissented from his right to be in the team.

If his team should beat Argentina tomorrow night — and particularly if the Springboks go on to win the title in a week’s time — he will pass into that state of grace reserved for former South African state presidents, where his every word will resonate with the wisdom of a latter-day Solomon.

Yet as recently as the start of this season, he faced an ongoing battle to convince a doubting public that he was a good enough player to be in the team.