Congratulations to one of the top South African schoolboy rugby commentators Johan Smith, who achieves a milestone on Saturday 28 May 2022. Johan will be the voice behind the microphone for the 150th time.
Marking the occasion is the broadcast of the high profile match between his alma mater Grey College and Monument in Bloemfontein. From an entertainment package point of view, viewers could not have wished to be in more capable hands.
Surprisingly even though Johan is a natural, he is not from a radio or television background. He is in fact the 1st XI cricket coach at the University of the Free State and otherwise earns a living in the clothing industry. Amongst the many positive achievements of live-streaming over the year is that it has opened up a platform for gifted commentators such as Johan to contribute in a big and meaningful way.
His very first broadcast was at the St John’s Easter Rugby Festival in 2017 and since then Johan, who described himself as someone with a passion for schoolboy rugby has clocked up thousands of kilometres on journeys to get to venues and cover the action. It was like words were not enough to express his gratitude towards Rowan Raaff for the opportunities and to Andrew V-C, arguably the two nicest guys anyone could ever hope to work with in the industry and the brains behind SchoolSportLive (now SuperSport Schools).
There is no questioning that Johan’s heart is in the right place. He puts in a ton of effort into schoolboy rugby preparation before and after his regular day job and he is motivated to promote the kids and their schools in an unbiased fashion. Admirable qualities that always shine through in all his good work!
“Homework is key”
“Be the best PR that you can”
“Put some of the better players on the map”
During his rugby days at Grey, Johan played for the Cherries in 2002 and missed his matric season of 2003 due to injury. Amongst the stars that emerged from those two years were Springboks Bismarck du Plessis, Ruan Pienaar, Adriaan Strauss, Andries Strauss, Flip van der Merwe and Deon Stegmann. First team players included Joe Pietersen, Alwyn Hollenbach, Richardt Strauss (Ireland) and Steph Roberts.
All the best Johan and thank you for a job well done!
@Gemini: stem
Ek geniet vir Spoed. En Mr. Tsimba. Beter as ‘n permanent histeriese Warren Brosnihan
@beet: I agree with you!!!!!
Tough crowd!
I honestly thought I was overcritical about the paid guys who do pro rugby. I gotta say in my opinion Johan is one of the best in the business. Always prepared. Doesn’t not matter if it’s game one or the last game of the day, there is always enthusiasm in his tone and he’s on the ball. Really happy to praise good players and good plays, the coaches and the schools for the work they put in. And bilingual.
@JongMatie: Dis mos nou nie Kennedy se skuld julle is 21-0 af nie 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ou Kennedy, hy donner aan met die ‘maroon machine’ dan is ons 21-0 af.
Moer irriterend!
@Smallies:Ja, ons moet seker meer konsentreer op die goeie, eerder as dit wat jou persoonlik hinder.Ek dink net dat hy ‘n baie beter kommentator sou wees indien ons nie sy voorkeur deur sy kommentaar kon agterkom nie. Maar nou ja, het ons nie almal Sydie,Sydie,Sydie, geniet nie
@Jan Kriel: hy kan bietjie over the top raak ,maar ten minste ken hy die spelers se name ,hy en Kennedy Tsimba maak n goeie span baie beter as party van die ander
@Arend: Ek stem saam met jou, dit irriteer my as hy so pro ‘n sekere skool kommentaar lewer. Sy onderrok hang soms te veel uit.
I actually think he is good. It is not easy to memorise and recognise the players of so many teams – and each year it is different players.
He also studies the history of schools before matches.
Way better than many of the Currie Cup and URC commentators.
@Arend: Stem 100% saam.
Sorry, I put the volume down when he is on air! He don’t impress me.