Smith: Cup clash perfect opportunity to show Saints’ coaches what we can do

We sat down with summer signing Robbie Smith, with the Scottish hooker set to start Northampton Saints’ Premiership Rugby Cup clash against Saracens this evening at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens…

Q: How have you been settling in ahead of your first season with Northampton Saints?
RS: I’ve been settling in really well. I’ve got quite a thick accent so it’s a bit of a different language barrier and the lads down here maybe don’t know what I’m saying yet, but I can understand them, so it’s pretty good! I’m loving it so far, it’s a really good Club and there’s a really good feel about the place. Obviously, the facilities are unbelievable, and I’m loving every minute so far to be honest.

Q: How did your move to Saints come about?
RS: I was at Newcastle last season and I enjoyed my time there, but I didn’t feel like I was playing enough rugby, for my age, to be progressing. I was constantly training all the time, which is difficult when you’re at a high level, and there are lads in front of you who play every week. I just felt when Northampton Saints came around that there was a real opportunity to, first and foremost, push myself to get into the first team here and play as much as I can. At the same time, if I’m not playing there’s a chance to pick up games because we’ve got a good link with Bedford Blues. Obviously, I’m playing in the first week of the season against Saracens. The main reason for coming down was for game time and this is a Club that is massively successful in what they do. When a Club like that comes looking, you’ve got to make a decision.

Q: Was scrum coach Matt Ferguson a factor in you joining the Club?
RS: Yeah, I had a few good chats with him and Phil Dowson, and they explained how they play and their understanding of the game. That appealed to me and you can see that in training if you look at how Saints have played in these last three or four years, that they play a very exciting brand of rugby. It’s good to watch and while I’ve only played in it in the pre-season games, it’s also been fun to play in.

Q: Did you already know you were coming here when you played for Newcastle in the Premiership Rugby Cup at the Gardens (and scored two tries) last season?
RS: I did know I was coming here, which was quite cool actually, just to experience the place before I even got here. I loved that game as well – it was my last game for Newcastle, but at the same time I loved playing on the pitch, seeing what the supporters were about and having a decent game against Northampton.

Q: Coming to Saints also means you’re back playing in the East Midlands again…
RS: I had a year at Bedford two years ago, which to be honest is the most I’ve enjoyed my rugby career so far. There was a good bunch of boys down there and I was playing rugby every week, which made me enjoy it that much more. I saw of a few of them last week [for the pre-season friendly].

Q: What can Saints supporters expect to see from you this season?
RS: Hopefully good things, I think I’m quite a defensive player. I like collisions, I like running into people, I like hitting people on the ball, so to sum it up I’d say I’m quite aggressive in defence. My attack is something I’m working on here, so I can try and dominate collisions.

Q: How did the pre-season friendlies go for you? You got on the scoresheet against Bedford…
RS: Yeah, I was on the back of a maul, and I really enjoyed it because that was the first time playing for Saints at Franklin’s Gardens, which was class. My girlfriend came down, so she got to experience it and she loved it as well. To be honest, it’s the best pitch I’ve played on, so I loved it and then we obviously had the game against Ospreys and I ended up in the back row for a while, which is a bit different for me. I played there at schoolboy level, but not in the last three or four years. There was a little bit more running involved! I enjoyed getting on the pitch – I trained so much during preseason and all you want to do is play. Everybody is itching to play, whether that’s a young lad or a lad who has been here for a while. The main point of preseason is to make sure you’re prepared to play the games, so it was nice to get out there and have a run.

Q: Let’s look ahead to Saracens, who will be playing a strong team on Thursday night. How much are you looking forward to facing them?
RS: To be honest, I prefer it the way that their team is. Obviously, we’ve seen their team and we’ve got a lot of lads who haven’t played a lot of first-team rugby yet, a lot of lads who are trying to get themselves into the first team. But there are some lads who have played a lot in the Premiership, so it’s a mixed bag for us. The biggest thing for us is sticking together, sticking to our process. Yes, they’re going to come hard and they’re going to be a good side, but I think I’d prefer to play against their best side because at the end of the day that’s what we’re all striving to do. We all want to play in the first team at Saints and play in the Premiership every week. If we can play well against these boys, I think that would give us a lot of confidence and it also gives the coaches a chance to see what we can do, so we’re almost playing two Prem games this week. I’m just buzzing to be involved, to be honest. I don’t think it really matters what they bring, it’s just about getting on the pitch and giving it a good go.

Q: You’re still quite young yourself, but you’re going to be one of the ‘experienced’ heads…
RS: Yeah, there are a lot of young lads coming in – I think a couple are only 17. Obviously, I’m young (23 years old), but that’s really young! It’s pretty much their starting Premiership side that they’re bringing here tomorrow, so the team they’ll be fielding will probably be starting their first Premiership game. For a young 17-year-old like that, or even the likes of myself, to take confidence out of anything you can do that is positive in that game is massive. That’s a Premiership outfit and if we can perform well and get a good run-out, the confidence we will gain from that is massively valuable to us.