Two of Queenstown’s Finest No.8s Reunite at Framesby

Queenstown – or Komani, as we now know it – has always punched above its weight in producing rugby talent. For the Class of 2011, the town delivered two of the best schoolboy No.8s you could find: Johan Meyer and Roelof Smit. Both brilliant in their own right.

Fast forward 14 years. With their professional playing careers behind them – Meyer capped numerous times by Italy and Smit making his Springbok debut against the Barbarians in 2016 – the pair have reunited in Gqeberha as part of a formidable Framesby coaching line-up for 2026.

Back in 2010, both were already on the radar, representing Border at Craven Week as u17s. Meyer, the pride of Queen’s College, followed the Kudus’ tradition of producing standouts like Lionel Cronje (2009) and Allan Dell (2010). One of his 1st XV coaches, the evergreen Clinton Loest, recalls:

“He was an extremely quick and powerful rugby player. I played him at number 8. He was really effective off the back of the scrum, using his pace and athletic ability to give us good go-forward. His pace was a massive plus, and he was never scared of contact – whether in attack or defence.”

Smit, a big, strong, dominant ball-carrier, was flying the flag at Hangklip, the Afrikaans school in Queenstown. For matric, he shifted north to Waterkloof (Pretoria), where he slotted into a monstrous pack that boasted names like Irne Herbst (4), Justin Forwood (1), Morne du Plessis (2) and Marne Coetzee (3). Behind them, the glamour backs included Francois Tredoux (10), Duncan Matthews (14) and Shaun Robinson (15), while midfield power came from Ruhan Janse van Rensburg (12). Smit went on to represent the Blue Bulls at Craven Week in 2011.

His former Waterkloof coach Thys Stoltz, who you can catch on the Youtube channel Blindside (https://www.youtube.com/@Blindside-d7x), had this to say about Roelof:

“A remarkable young man who made a massive impact for Waterkloof and the Bulls Craven Week team. He is the ultimate team player and a true student of the game, always determined to give his best. With his deep understanding of rugby, he is well suited for a coaching role and is bound to excel in it.”

Now, the two are back together, wearing Framesby colours on the coaching front, as part of a structure that looks, frankly, red hot:

• Louis Gerber (Framesby) – Head Coach (experienced, meticulous, detail-driven)

• Karlo Aspeling (Outeniqua) – Backs

• Stefan Willemse (Paarl Gim) – Forwards

• Renier de Villiers (Outeniqua) – u16s (ex-Drostdy & Waterkloof coach)

• Johan Meyer (Queen’s) – u15s (Italy, 14 caps)

• Roelof Smit (Waterkloof) – u14s

• Deon Kapp – Strength & Conditioning (extensive senior rugby experience)

• Konrad de Villiers (Framesby) – Specialist support (top cricket coach)

With that coaching depth, Framesby are clearly aiming to re-establish themselves as one of the Eastern Cape’s flagship rugby schools