Springbok and two-time Rugby World Cup winner Kwagga Smith is looking forward to returning home after joining the Vodacom Bulls, a move he and his wife made as they prepare to welcome their first child.

Speaking to Breakfast with Martin Bester, Smith said the decision to leave Japan was a big one.

“It’s nice to be back home. It’s difficult when you’re in Japan and far away from family and everyone,” he said. “Our first child is on the way, so it was a big decision for us to come back.”

The couple have settled in Midstream, where Smith already had a house from his time with the Lions. His family farm is in Dullstroom, Mpumalanga, making Pretoria a convenient base. “It’s the closest to the farm as well, so we’re really looking forward to it,” he said.

Smith will also reunite with Bulls coach Johan Ackermann, who gave him an opportunity to move from sevens to fifteens rugby. At the time, Smith was about 10 kilograms lighter than he is now.

“He was the guy who gave me a chance and said, ‘It doesn’t matter what your size is. If you can do the job, I’ll put you in,’” Smith recalled.

Smith went on to play under Ackermann at the Lions, winning the Currie Cup and reaching a Super Rugby final.

He said he was glad to work with the coach again and described the Bulls as “a great group” with “a great culture growing” at the club. He also praised the squad’s depth, which he believes is important during a long Vodacom URC season.

Before he can take to the field for his new team, Smith is focused on recovering from a serious knee injury.

He tore his ACL and meniscus in his final match in Japan in May. At the time of the interview, he was about five and a half months into his recovery and had started running.

“We’re taking it phase by phase, but it’s looking very good,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll be back on the field early in January or February to start playing again.”

Watching the Bulls train has made him eager to get back into action. “I saw the guys practising on the field this week and thought, ‘Right, let’s finish this rehab so I can get out there.’”

Smith’s toughness, the presenters suggested, may have something to do with growing up on a farm. He said his father put him and his brother to work from a young age.

“There wasn’t time to watch TV or anything like that,” he said.

“You could watch TV in the evening, but during the day you had to work if you weren’t at school. That’s how we learnt, and it’s a privilege to have grown up that way.”

His nickname also has its roots in his childhood. Smith’s given names are Albertus Stefanus, but “Kwagga” stuck after his brother Willem chose it on the night he was born.

Their grandparents were staying on a game farm when American hunters asked what the new baby would be called.

“He grew up on a farm and watched movies and animals and things like that,” Smith said of his brother.

“He just said, ‘His name’s going to be Kwagga.’ Then my grandparents started calling me Kwagga, and that was it. It stuck.”

Smith’s rugby journey began far from the position he plays today. He started out as a flyhalf in primary school, moved to inside centre and only shifted to flank in high school.

One of his childhood role models was former Springbok André Pretorius. Smith’s father took him to watch the Pumas, where his uncle Torros Pretorius played, and he said that was where “the dream began”.

Asked to name his favourite try, Smith chose his effort against the All Blacks in New Zealand, after Pieter-Steph du Toit passed the ball inside to him. He said the occasion and the build-up made it special, particularly after South Africa’s loss at Eden Park.

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