Brian Smith, an Australian rugby union player and coach who represented both Australia and Ireland and also played professional rugby league, died of cancer on Aug. 12, 2026, at 59, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Smith made his Queensland debut in 1985 and his first international appearance for Australia in 1987. He played at that year’s inaugural Rugby World Cup, including Australia’s quarterfinal win over Ireland. He studied at Oxford University on a scholarship, captained its team and qualified to represent Ireland through his maternal grandmother from Wexford. He made nine Ireland appearances in the 1990–91 Five Nations.
Six days after his final Ireland appearance in 1991, Smith switched from rugby union to rugby league and made his professional debut for the Balmain Tigers. He later played 37 matches for Balmain and six for Eastern Suburbs.
After his playing career, Smith became London Irish’s director of rugby in 2005. The club finished third in the Guinness Premiership, reached the 2006 European Challenge Cup final and advanced to the 2008 Heineken Cup semifinal against Toulouse during his tenure.
Smith joined England as attack coach in 2008. England beat France 34–10 at Twickenham in March 2009, and England manager Martin Johnson said Smith’s attacking work had paid off.
In 2015, Smith became director of rugby at The Scots College, an Australian school. He guided its senior rugby team to a Great Public Schools title and oversaw a win for its Under-16 program at the Gold Coast Rugby Carnival.
