THE OLD BOYS
MEET THE LEGENDS BEHIND "FIELDS OF BOYS HIGH"
JOHN SMIT
FORMER SPRINGBOK CAPTAIN · RUGBY WORLD CUP WINNER 2007 · PBHS OLD BOY
JOHN SMIT IS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC FIGURES IN SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY HISTORY. BORN 3 APRIL 1978 IN PIETERSBURG, HE ATTENDED PRETORIA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL WHERE HIS RUGBY JOURNEY BEGAN. HE WENT ON TO BECOME THE MOST CAPPED SPRINGBOK CAPTAIN IN HISTORY, LEADING SOUTH AFRICA TO A MEMORABLE RUGBY WORLD CUP VICTORY IN 2007.
SMIT PLAYED 111 TESTS FOR THE SPRINGBOKS, 83 OF THEM AS CAPTAIN — A NATIONAL RECORD. A VERSATILE PLAYER WHO EXCELLED AT BOTH HOOKER AND PROP, HE WAS KNOWN FOR HIS LEADERSHIP, RESILIENCE, AND UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO THE GREEN AND GOLD.
AFTER RETIRING FROM RUGBY IN 2011, SMIT TRANSITIONED INTO BUSINESS AND MEDIA. HE SERVED AS CEO OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY UNION AND REMAINS A RESPECTED VOICE IN THE SPORT. TODAY, HE BRINGS THAT SAME LEADERSHIP AND PASSION TO THE "FIELDS OF BOYS HIGH" PROJECT.
PAUL ANTHONY
FORMER PBHS COACH · SA SCHOOLS COACH · SHARKS CURRIE CUP COACH
PAUL ANTHONY'S JOURNEY IN RUGBY IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE TRADITIONS OF PRETORIA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL. AS A FORMER COACH AT PBHS, PAUL HELPED SHAPE THE RUGBY PROGRAMME THAT HAS PRODUCED COUNTLESS SPRINGBOKS AND LEADERS.
IN 2006, HIS EXCEPTIONAL WORK AT PBHS EARNED HIM THE ROLE OF SA SCHOOLS HEAD COACH. THAT SAME YEAR, HE TOOK THE HELM AS THE BLUE BULLS U19 CURRIE CUP COACH.
IN 2007, PAUL STEPPED ONTO THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE AS THE ASSISTANT COACH FOR THE SA U19 SIDE. HE THEN JOINED THE SHARKS COACHING STAFF, WORKING ALONGSIDE LEGENDS LIKE JAKE WHITE AND ROBERT DU PREEZ. HE BECAME THE HEAD COACH OF THE SHARKS XV AND, IN 2017, WAS NAMED THE SHARKS CURRIE CUP CARETAKER COACH.
TODAY, PAUL REMAINS CLOSELY CONNECTED TO PRETORIA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL. HIS PARTNERSHIP WITH THIS VINYL BRINGS TOGETHER TWO GREAT PASSIONS: MUSIC AND THE UNBREAKABLE SPIRIT OF PBHS RUGBY TRADITION.
PAUL GIOIA
PBHS OLD BOY · GUITARIST · SONGWRITER
PAUL GIOIA IS A PROUD PRETORIA BOYS HIGH SCHOOL OLD BOY AND A TALENTED MUSICIAN FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN BAND ATFN. HIS MUSICAL JOURNEY BEGAN AT PBHS, WHERE HE HONED HIS CRAFT AND DEVELOPED THE STYLE THAT WOULD LATER DEFINE HIS CAREER.
AS A MEMBER OF ATFN, PAUL HAS PERFORMED AT VENUES AND FESTIVALS ACROSS SOUTH AFRICA, BUILDING A REPUTATION FOR ENERGETIC PERFORMANCES AND AUTHENTIC SONGWRITING. HIS BAND'S SOUND BLENDS ELEMENTS OF ROCK, ALTERNATIVE, AND INDIE MUSIC.
FOR THE "FIELDS OF BOYS HIGH" VINYL, PAUL JOINS FELLOW PBHS OLD BOYS JOHN SMIT, PAUL ANTHONY, AND WILLIAM BISHOP TO CREATE SOMETHING TRULY SPECIAL.