The ‘dummy” pass is regarded as an integral part of rugby from primary school right up to international level, and when executed by the legendary Mannetjies Roux or Danie Gerber, is a highly skilled move that leaves the opposition flat-footed.

What many people do not know is that the move was “invented”, or rather, “introduced” to rugby by a Kimberley player on a Kimberley field, probably the Eclectic field on Park road. So successful was the move, that the “blind pass” or “giving the dummy” as it was then called, spread rapidly around the world of rugby playing nations.

Daniel Walter Smith was the Chief Valuator of De Beers Consolidated Mines when he died in Seapoint on 27 February 1926, and was considered “…one of the greatest figures in sport on the Diamond Fields for a quarter of a century.” His obituary in the Diamond Fields Advertiser states that Dan Smith, born in Durban on 8 April 1869, came to Kimberley in the middle to late 1880s, and being of fine physique as well as keenly interested in sport, associated himself with…all the manly games which the youth of Kimberley pursued, and in rugby especially he excelled.

Originally playing forward, he afterwards proved to the critics that a man of height and weight could also be a tower of strength to his side in other positions, and Dan and his contemporary, Jack de Melker, turned out to be the finest half-backs in the country.

Many a doughty struggle in the rugby field was won for this centre (Kimberley/Griqualand West) by the nimbleness and speed of these two champions. Dan won for himself international colours, and was one of the founders of the famous Pirates Club.

To him may be attributed the introduction of the blind pass, or as it is termed, giving the dummy, which has revolutionised the game in this and other countries.

Smith played 16 games for Griqualand West between 1889 and 1895, captaining the province on five occasions. His solitary international appearance was for South Africa against the British Isles in 1891, the game being on the Eclectic grounds. After retiring from rugby he devoted his time to bowls, of which he was no mean exponent.

Daniel Smith saw service during the Siege of Kimberley 1899-1900 with the Cycle Corps as a Lieutenant, and was a member of Colonel Scott VC’s Veteran Corps that did garrison duty in South West Africa during World War I (1914-1918). He married a Miss Addison and had a married daughter, Mrs Cyril Bodley. He died at the Seapoint Monastery while being treated for heart disease.

Among the pallbearers at the funeral were Sir David Harris, Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, Irvine Grimmer, and FW Glover.