Career
He is currently the Director of Rugby at South African provincial side Western Province Club career Gert Smal was a flanker with Western Transvaal from 1980-1983 then played with Stellenbosch University from 1984 to 1985. Provincial/International career Smal had a limited international playing career due to the international boycott of South African sports teams because of the apartheid regime which ended in 1992. He captained South African Gazelles (U24 side) in 1984.
He turned out for the Springboks against the touring New Zealand Cavaliers in 1986, against a World Invitation XV in 1989 and a Serge Blanco World XV team against France.
He also represented Western Province between 1984 and 1993 and the South African Defence Forces in 1986 and 1987. = Retirement from playing On the Australasian tour with Western Province in 1993, during a match against Queensland, Smal received a blow in the mouth causing him to lose vision in the bottom corner of his left eye forcing his retirement from playing.
When Jake White was replaced by Peter de Villiers as head coach following the world cup in 2007, Smal offered to develop rugby in the Eastern Cape but was turned down by the South African Rugby Union In June 2008, Smal was appointed forward coach to the Irish National team under Declan Kidney. His assistance was key in Ireland"s victory over the 2007 World Champions and Tri Nations 2009 champions South Africa during the 2009 Autumn Internationals where he taught the Irish pack some Afrikaans so that they could read the opposition"s line out calls.
In June 2011, he signed a contract extension with the IRFU. Smal was forced to miss the remainder of the 2012 Six Nations Championship after an eye condition struck him.
His temporary replacement was Munster forwards coach Anthony Foley. Smal was replaced as Ireland forwards coach in 2013 by John Plumtree. Western Province In 2014, Smal returned to South Africa when he was appointed the Director of Rugby at Western Province on a three-year contract.