Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/74

Ian Smith (1903–1972) was a rugby union wing who played 32 Tests for Scotland and two Tests for the British Isles. Born in Australia and brought up in New Zealand, he moved to England and was educated at Winchester College, before studying at Oxford University and later Edinburgh University. At Oxford he took up rugby (having only played football at school); he captained the university team to victory against Cambridge in the 1923 Varsity Match, scoring two tries. He 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. Smith still holds joint possession of the Scottish record. (Full article...)