Ian Smith (Scottish Rugby Player Born 1903)

Ian Smith (Scottish Rugby Player Born 1903)

Ian Scott Smith (31 October 1903 – 18 September 1972) was a Scottish rugby union wing who played 32 Tests for Scotland and two Tests for British Isles. Although he was born in Melbourne, Australia, and brought up in New Zealand, Smith moved to England and ended up at Winchester College, Oxford University and Edinburgh University. At Oxford he took up rugby and was eventually selected for Scotland; eligible because of relatives in Scottish Borders. 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 played for Scotland until 1933 when he captained them in their Triple Crown winning season. His 24 international tries, all scored in the Five Nations/Home Nations, was an international record until 1987 and a record for what is now known as the Six Nations until 2011, and gives him joint possession of the Scottish record to this day.

Richard Bath writes of him:

"A member of the famous Oxford quartet of Wallace, Aitkin, Macpherson and Smith, the lithe Australian-born wing made his mark as an integral member of the outstanding sides of the 1920s, which won the Grand Slam in 1925, the year when he scored an astounding eight tries in the first two internationals of the season against France and Wales."