Double World Cup winner Kwagga Smith seals three-year Bulls move after ACL recovery

Springbok back-rower Kwagga Smith has signed a three-year deal with the Bulls, the Pretoria-based franchise confirmed, bringing the 63-cap double World Cup winner back to South African rugby after eight years in Japan.

Smith, 33, spent his time in Japan with Yamaha Júbilo — now rebranded as the Shizuoka Blue Revs — before the move to the Bulls, where he will be reunited with head coach Johan Ackermann, who previously worked with him at the Lions.

“As a youngster, he showed character and fight and integrity,” Ackermann said. “He’s a team man who has grown into a stalwart, and it’s been a privilege to watch his career unfold and establish himself as one of the best backrows in world rugby. Wherever he goes he makes a difference, and I look forward to him contributing both on and off the field.”

Smith’s career has spanned formats and hemispheres. He won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in sevens before adding an Olympic bronze medal in 2016. In the 15-man game, he was part of the Lions side that claimed the 2015 Currie Cup, and he has since become a fixture in the Springbok squad, collecting World Cup winners’ medals in 2019 and 2023, featuring in the 2021 series victory over the British & Irish Lions, and winning the Rugby Championship in 2019, 2024, and 2025.

The move does come with a fitness caveat. Smith tore his ACL and meniscus in May while playing for the Blue Revs, though he has been cleared to return to action by the end of December.

“I’m very excited to be joining,” Smith said. “I’m already jogging. I miss the rugby but I’m feeling good. My wife is pregnant, due in January, so the timing of joining the Bulls is perfect. Playing under Johan Ackermann was one of my best experiences. I’m looking forward to getting back by early next year.”

With the three-year length of the contract, the deal is widely expected to represent the final chapter of Smith’s professional career.