Springbok loose forward Kwagga Smith is free to sign for the Bulls after ending his contract with Japanese club Shizuoka Blue Revs by mutual consent, eight seasons after he arrived there.
The club announced the termination on Tuesday, 20 October 2026. Smith, 33, asked for his release while recovering from surgery on his left knee.
No contract with the Bulls has been signed, and no South African franchise has announced him.
Is A Bulls Deal Done?
Bulls coach Johan Ackermann said in September that Smith and Kubota Spears hooker Malcolm Marx were both under discussion, and he was careful about how far it had gone.
“Their names are on our table and we’ll look at them.” – Johan Ackermann, speaking to SA Rugby Magazine
Asked directly whether either deal was close, Ackermann would not say either way. A month later that is still where it sits: interest confirmed, nothing finished.
What has changed is the obstacle. Until Tuesday, Smith was a contracted Shizuoka Blue Revs player. He is not one now.
What Kwagga Smith Leaves Behind At Shizuoka Blue Revs
Smith joined the club in 2018, when it was still called Yamaha Júbilo, and the club puts him at 81 official caps, league and cup matches included.
He was named in the Team of the Season five times, twice in the Top League era and three times since the competition was rebranded as Japan Rugby League One in 2022. In 2022-23 the players voted him League One Player of the Season, and he took over the captaincy that same season.
The club’s own statement led with what he was rather than what he won.
“He has always been a leader and role model for the team.” – Shizuoka Blue Revs statement
His last match for them was on 9 May 2026, when he scored in a 42-15 win over the Yokohama Canon Eagles.
The Knee Injury And A 2027 Return
Smith hurt his left knee in May and has had surgery on it. He has not played since, and he has missed the entire Springbok season.
He is only expected back in action in 2027. Rassie Erasmus has already indicated that Smith is unlikely to feature in the Nations Championship matches in November.
That matters for any club weighing him up. Whoever signs him is signing a player who will not take the field this season, and who will need his load managed carefully when he does.
Japan is the evidence that it can be done well. Eight seasons at one club, a managed calendar, and a Test career that kept going into his thirties rather than being ground down by it.
What Kwagga Smith Would Bring To The Bulls
Smith has 63 Test caps and two Rugby World Cup winner’s medals, from 2019 in Japan and 2023 in France.
His Sevens background is the reason he is picked as often as he is. He covers all three loose-forward positions and can fill in behind the scrum, which is what made him such a useful bench option for Rassie Erasmus late in tight Tests.
The coaching link is there too. Smith played under Ackermann at the Lions before either man left for Japan, and Ackermann spent his own time in the League One system with Urayasu D-Rocks.
The timing is not unusual either. Smith’s exit follows Cheslin Kolbe’s early departure from Suntory Sungoliath to join the Stormers, with experienced Springboks increasingly choosing a United Rugby Championship return over another season in Asia.
Marx is the other name on Ackermann’s table, and that one is further from done. Marx is contracted to Kubota Spears into next year, and the Sharks have been linked with him as well.
For Smith, the Japan chapter is closed and the next one is not yet written. As of Wednesday morning, the Bulls had announced nothing.
