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Brian Smith

1966–2026
Portrait of Brian Smith
Photo · source unattributed

Australian dual‑code rugby international who played for the Wallabies and Ireland and later coached and served as Head of Sport at Scots College, died at 59.

1 report

Fieldsport

Particulars

Brian Smith was born on 9 September 1966 in St George, Queensland. He began his rugby career in union, earning six Test caps for Australia in 1987 before switching allegiance and representing Ireland nine times between 1989 and 1991. He also played professional rugby league for the Balmain Tigers and Eastern Suburbs in the early 1990s.

After retiring as a player, Smith moved into coaching, working in Japan, England and Australia, including a stint as Australia’s sevens coach and as attack coach for England. He later became the Head of Sport at Scots College in Sydney, mentoring future Wallabies such as Angus Bell.

Smith’s death was announced on 12 August 2026 after a short battle with cancer. He was remembered by teammates and former students as a gifted player, dedicated coach, and a great father and mentor.

Compiled from source reports and Wikipedia. Automated record.

Sources cited

  1. Brian Smith — WikipediaWikipediaReference
  2. Ex-Wallabies, league star Brian Smith dies of cancerabc-australia-top-stories