42-year old former provincial flyhalf and Dale Old Boy Luke Smith is the new coach at Dale College. Smith takes over from the school’s legendary coach Griffy Griffiths who has moved to Hamiltons Club in Cape Town. Interestingly Smith like Griffiths also played in an unbeaten Dale side in 1990. He scored 207 points, mainly with the boot for the school that year. Surprisingly he also attended Selborne before leaving to complete his last schooling year at Dale, so he is unique in that he has honours in rugby from both schools.
Smith has identified his goals as building wanting to build Dale rugby by ensuring that the best team is selected and he plans to identify talent in the lower age-group teams earlier so that they can be developed to the full potential and promoted ahead of time if necessary.
Dale has just lost a number of very promising young players to the momentum gaining recruitment drives that have occurred across the land. It is therefore vital that Smith hits the ground running in order to win over the confidence of existing youngsters and their parents in efforts to ensure that Dale continues to be one of the leading schools for producing quality rugby players that star at provincial and even national levels down the line.
Here is Dale’s outstanding 1990 record compliments of Rockspider:
| Opposition | P | W | L | D | Dale | Opp |
| Cambridge High School | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 3 |
| Graeme College | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 3 |
| Grens | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 15 |
| Grey High School – PE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 6 |
| Hangklip | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 0 |
| Hudson Park | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| Kearsney | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 6 |
| Kingswood College | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 |
| Paarl Gym | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 13 |
| Port Rex (EL Tech) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Pretoria Boys | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 6 |
| Queen’s College | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 13 |
| Rhodes University Rugby Club | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 3 |
| Rondebosch Boys | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 6 |
| SACS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 9 |
| Selborne College | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 3 |
| St Andrews College – Ght | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 13 |
| Westville | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 9 |
| TOTAL | 20 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 493 | 111 |
@Hustle: You right i saw them there ones as well
@ Rugbyfan saw with my own eyes Cherries play at Saints – long long time ago.
@Roger: I am not sure if the Grey Cherries were ever at this festival
@Hustle: not sure when Grey cherries played but Grey were often at the Saints festival in the early days.
@Hustle: Grens used to have very goods sides up until the mid 1990 then seem to fall off
@Hustle: Yeah Grens was a powerhouse in the past.Very competitive and tough as nails.The wheels came off their rugby in the late 90s.
Rob Kempson captained Queens in ’92.
@ Roger – I was at that Saints Festival, and watched the KES Vs Grey game, my recollection was a fine day, and having attended Craighall primary, was my first exposure to first team rugby. I recall my father telling me that KES, and other JHB schools would not stand up to a school like Grey Bloem, I think he was taken a back….with the result. I do recall the atmosphere…as tense with a great crowd…
I was at the 1992 game – I am pretty sure it was at KES – I think that year they had Robbie Kemspon as prop, and the first choice prop had to leave the field injured I recall feeling sorry for the reserve…it was a big score.
I would have seen you play in 89, at Saints I was in Grade 11. Queens has never really shaped at the Saints festival in my opinion….not sure the reason why…sometimes wonder if it’s too early for a school like Queens to be playing….
What was the year that I saw Grey Cherries at Saints, was it the same year?
@ Playa re 1993 dale side – Grens must have had a good side.
So nice to see someone else having a chat for once
@rugbyfan: I hope he will be.
He has an impressive coaching CV having coached at DHS, Glenwood, Michaelhouse and Hilton in his younger days. And more recently being in the same coaching teams as the likes of Tim Horan, Richard Hill and Zinzan Brooke.He certainly has a track record and experience.Most of all,he understands the Dale brand of rugby.He has all my support
@Playa: Do you think Luke will make a good coach
@Playa: i might be mistaken but I think that is still Kes’s biggest ever defeat
yep – that one I remember – also remember KES playing Loretta College at the Saints fetsival and beating them by 70 odd. Dale – Kes was a hding!
1993 Results:
Check the KES score, Roger…
Cambridge High School 76 5
Grens 21 16
Grey College (Bloem) 26 7
Grey High School – PE 37 10
Hudson Park 39 9
King Edward the Seventh – KES 48 0
Kingswood College 35 5
Loretta College, Scotland Touring Team 122 0
Paarl Gym 13 6
Pinetown 83 0
Port Rex (EL Tech) 64 10
Queen’s College 12 6
Queen’s College 15 9
Rondebosch Boys 48 7
Selborne College 16 5
Selborne College 14 9
Tour – UK – Bishop Wordsworth Sch 13 0
Tour – UK – Hurstpierpoint College 48 3
Tour – UK – Hymer’s College 18 10
Tour – UK – Leicester Grammer 43 0
Tour UK Gwent Comb Cnty- Wale 15 5
Wynberg Boys 27 3
P W L D PF PA
22 22 0 0 833 125
@beet: wow – they gave their fellow Border schools a smack in 1990!
@Hustle: sorry – wasn’t at the 1992 Kes-Queens game. Was that at the Saints festival? I remember Kes losing to College at Sainst in 1992 – KES had a very ordinary team in 1992 though. 86-91 were great years – and then came 92 – eish!
I played Queens at Saints in 89. We lost to Dale and beat Queens and Kearsney
@beet: Pierre Langlois played in 1991. He coached me at under 13 in 1995.
@Hustle: Bobo left in the middle of Std 9.He claims Rondebosch as his old school, and Dale as his nursery.
@Roger: Yeah, Steve Hall was the lock.
I have added Dales amazing 1990 unbeaten record to the post for all who are interested. Very impressive stats.
@Playa: is that Steve Hall the lock? If so, I remember him – he was a beast – manhandled a few of our players!
@Hustle: yes – it was at Saints. Grey won it 22-18 in the last seconds. Winning try scored by Pieter De Haas
@Playa: ok – thanks – good luck to him. He was a great flyhalf in his day – old school flyhalf, small, quick and a great boot
@ Playa according the article he was at Dale for 1 year, having said that when he reflects back – he sees himself as a Dalian and not a Selbornian. If you met Bobo – who would he say is his old school? Just curious
http://www.rugby365.com/article/51653-dale-s-new-coach
@Playa: Interesting to see the name David Arbuthnot there. He is from Durbs. I played u10 with him. Pierre Langlois, a good cricketer also from Durban did not make the first XV in 1990. Did he play in 1991 by any chance?
Roger, memory is not that good…was the 1986 KES Grey College game at Saints? Also did you go the the 1992 KES QC game.
@Roger:
I count 3 players that played in both ’89 and ’90. Then again,my eye is a tired eye.
1989
Mr. M.J.Patterson – Coach
Quinton Maritz – Capt
John Green – V/capt
Allan Long
Allan Canny
Andrew Bennet
Lyle Mundell
John Beckley
Edward Marshall
Warren Raath
Stuart Coyle-Mayberry
Michael Monaghan
Sean Roberts
Steven Hall
Bradley Hall
Taylor Tait
Andre Wood
Rean Kockjeu
Grant Cocheran
K. Efstratiou
Anton Hawkes
1990
Mr. M.J.Patterson – Coach
Andrew Bennet – Capt
Luke Smith – V/capt
Steven Hall
Stuart Coyle-Mayberry (Broke Neck)
Martin Moodie
Mathew Mawson
Michael Woudberg
Gavin Franken
Steven Smith
David Arbuthnot
Bevan Venebles
Robin Knott
Kingley Hoar
Stephen Hatley
Jonathan Staples
Andre Wood
Gregg Webb
Steven Pope
Richard Bennet
@Roger: Just got confirmation that Luke Smith came to Dale in matric.Quite an interesting story behind it:
“Luke came to Dale to support his friend and to make the move in his matric year. The Dale Headmaster had no idea who Mr. Billy Smith was, Luke’s Dad, who phoned the day before schools opened to enroll his son. Eventually Headmaster agreed to interview the family and accepted him after the interview. Only when he was reading through the formalities of the application for correctness did the penny drop “under sport”. He had already committed so excused himself to see his deputy (also First XV coach) to have him phone Luke’s previous school to make sure that there was no bad blood and no poaching. That Headmaster said he could not stand in Luke’s way and wished him well. That is how Luke came to Dale.”
@Roger: I remember watching the 2011 KES vs Dale match at the Grey PE festival.There were a few guys from the ’87 team in attendance.You could have sworn Dale had won the World Schools Champs the way those okes celebrated.They said they didnt witness the 1989 game so for them this was revenge.Absolutely wonderful to see.
I’ve heard about the Grey Bloem and Monnas games.
@Playa: if you ask any Kes boy between 1986 and 1990 which rugby games stand out they will all say Grey Bloem in 86, Dale in 87 and Monnas in 89 at Ellis Park
@Roger: Way before my time,unfortunately.I know the guy who coached Dale in ’87, Kenny Ball, he’s headmaster at SACS, and I meet up with a number of old boys from the era in Old Boys functions that we have here in CT.My schoolboy memory starts in 1992.
Dare I say it…Raymond Lindsey Smith fixed that game
@Roger:
NO WAYS!!! That is stuff made of legend!!!
@Playa: do you remember Raymond Lindsey Smith? He was at primary school with me (2/3 years older) and was at KES and then his folks went farming in the EC. He finished at Dale in 1987 and ended up playing centre for them and against his old team mates at that KES-Dale game. It was him that missed the tackle in the finals seconds for KES to score the winning try – speculation was that it was no accident
I think our KZN regional expert Star
should be called upon to discuss the highs and lows (not that he has ever mentioned any lows) of being a dual old boy. For eg where does the heart take you when both old boys functions fall on the same day.
@Playa: remember it well – was one of the greatest school boy games I saw. Started off with every Dale old boy in JHB and surrounds walking onto the field and doing a warcry. KES were leading 6-4 with a minute to play. Dale got a penalty on the half way line and up stepped their number 3 to bang it over from 50 odd metres (old leather ball back then) – I sh#t you not, he placed the ball with the nose pointing towards the poles and toe-punted it over – it was still rising as it went over. Anyway – KES scored under the poles straight from the kick-off and won 12-7 – but I will never forget that Dale prop banging that kick over – took no time at all, placed the ball, walked a few steps back and toe-punted it over easily – can anyone tell me who he was??
@Roger: Not if he started a year late at school, and turned 15 in Std 6.Anyway, I’m speculating here. Will revert with facts soon.
@Roger: KES cost Dale an extra year of being unbeaten in 1987.Only loss of the season…12-7 I think on a tour to the TVL.
Not sure how many from ’89 played in ’90. Will have to check that one out as well.
@Playa: nope – if he played U15 in 1986 then he would have matriculated in 88/89 – Dale must have been a post matric year. Let me know though
@Umtata: unfair I know – but at least he spent two years at KES! Most others appear in their matric year and the school claims them thereafter.
Raymond Lindsey Smith spent 3 years at KES and played in the Dale 1987 1st XV – anyone remember him??
@Rockspider: interesting – I played against Dale in 1989 at the Saints festival and we went down 11-3 in the pouring rain. Was 7-3 to Dale (tries were 4 points then), 5 minutes to go, we were on their line – thought we were over in the corner, ref pinged us for holding on (said we were short of the line), Dale took a quick tap and ran the length of the field to score in the other corner – sob, sob – but I promise it didn’t affect me that much
How many of that 1990 team played in 1989?
@Roger: He matriculated in 1990 at Dale as far as I know.I will confirm with you once I have spoken to the powers that be, but I am 99.9% certain that he left Selborne in Std 9 and completed matric at Dale.
@Roger: Scarra Ntubeni spent 10 years at Dale and 2 years at KES, but no one says he’s not a KES OD
@Hustle: Spilhaus is still at KES coaching the 1st XV – going on 6 years now. I remember a huge debate on another website about Spilhaus and those 5 Dale boys that played for KES in 2008/2009, Ntubeni, Mjekevu, Eyre, Esterhuizen, Ntleki – will never know the real story. They all moved in their grade 10 and 11 years though.
@Playa: he matriculated at Selborne in 1989 didn’t he? Not trying to be controversional – just curious. As I said, he toured with the Selborne U15A in 1986 to JHB and a very good mate of mine hosted him and kept in touch thereafter? 5 years at Selborne and 1 year at Dale – hmmmmm
@Roger: That is a touchy point. Can Rondebosch lay claim to Gcobani Bobo? Can KES lay claim to Daniel Eyre and the rest of the group they got when Carl Spilahus moved there when he was appointed coach?At the end of the day, where you matriculate…that is your alma mater, isnt it?
The greatest day!The greatest day!This will be the greatest day!Filled with shouts of V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!!!!
Welcome back to the Graveyard Luke!We’re 100% behind you
Thats great news
Thanks RS
Welcome back to the CB Jennings.
Full name Luke Atholl Smith
Born February 9, 1971, East London
Major teams Rotherham Titans, Saracens
Position Fly-half
He also played for clubs in the UK. Coventry, Birmingham, Solihull
Saracens ,Rotherham Titans , Glasgow Caledonians.
English Premiership
Team Year Pts
Rotherham Titans 2000-2000 5 61
Saracens 2001-2002 194
Luke played in the 1990 Dale College Side. The most feared fly- half in the Border.
The 1990 side. Mr. M.J.Patterson – Coach Andrew Bennet – Capt Luke Smith – V/capt
Steven Hall Stuart Coyle-Mayberry Martin Moodie Mathew Mawson Michael Woudberg
Gavin Franken Steven Smith David Arbuthnot Bevan Venebles Robin Knott Kingley Hoar
Stephen Hatley Jonathan Staples Andre Wood Gregg Webb Steven Pope Richard Bennet
Play:20 Won: 19 Lost: 0 Draw: 1 Points For: 493 Points Against: 111
Honours Awards A. Bennet; L. Smith; S. Hall M. Moodie; S. Hatley
UNBEATEN. Drew with Paarl Gym. (A) 13-13
Luke also played for EP, Northern Transvaal and the Natal/ Sharks.
Roger I am going to say its clear which is his al mater – he has decided to coach, it was not like those Dale boys in there last years of schools following Spilhaus – BTW where is he these days?
Very Pleased for Dale, espcially an old boy giving back! Just curious what “cool foot Luke” has beeing doing for the last few years, has h been in coaching? Congrats to Dale!
hmmmm – can Dale claim him as an old boy? I played against Luke at U15 level when Selborne toured JHB – he’s a Selborne boy thru’ and thru’! Maybe a Dale blogger can let me know otherwise
Great news for the College