Ian Smith (rugby union, born 1903)

Ian Smith
Birth nameIan Scott Smith
Date of birth(1903-10-31)31 October 1903
Place of birthMelbourne, Australia
Date of death18 September 1972(1972-09-18) (aged 68)
SchoolWinchester College
UniversityOxford, Edinburgh
Occupation(s)solicitor
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1923–25 Oxford University ()
1924–25 Barbarians ()
1925–29 Edinburgh University ()
1929– London Scottish ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1924–33 Scotland 32 (72)
1924 British Isles 2 (0)

Ian Scott Smith (31 October 1903 – 18 September 1972) was a rugby union wing who played 32 Tests for Scotland and two Tests for the British Isles.[1] Born in Melbourne, Australia, and brought up in New Zealand, Smith moved to England and was educated at Winchester College, before studying at Oxford University and later Edinburgh University. At Oxford he took up rugby and was eventually selected for Scotland, for whom he was eligible because of his Scottish parents. He toured with the British Isles (now known as the British and Irish Lions) to South Africa in 1924, and played all four matches in Scotland's first ever Five Nations Grand Slam in 1925. He represented Scotland until 1933 when he captained them in their Triple Crown winning season. His 24 international tries, all scored in the Five Nations or Home Nations, was an international record until 1987 and a record for the Five/Six Nations until 2011. This record stood for 88 years until 2021, when it was broken by Stuart Hogg.

  1. ^ Bath, Richard, ed. (1997). The Complete Book of Rugby. Seven Oaks Ltd. p. 160. ISBN 1-86200-013-1.