Smith: Fierce competition for places driving Saints on

Hooker Robbie Smith has had to be patient for his chances in his first season at Northampton Saints, therefore he has thoroughly enjoyed the game time he has received in recent weeks.

It is at this time of the season where most squads in the Gallagher Premiership are stretched by international call-ups during the Six Nations.

In this instance, however, it was injuries to fellow front rowers Sam Matavesi and Mike Haywood that gave Smith his opportunity during what is a key period in the campaign.

What helped the 24-year-old Scot was that he is now fully integrated after his arrival from Newcastle Falcons last summer, which allows him to slot into Saints’ system whenever he is called upon.

That is set to be the case again when the men in Black, Green & Gold welcome Gloucester to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday for what is yet another crucial match in the race for the Premiership’s top four.

Smith said: “After coming in for my first season here, you come in and you’re not 100 per cent sure what to expect.

“The biggest thing that Dows definitely drives is the competition. We just had a session where you’d back any of the lads pulling on the Saints jersey on Saturday.

“It was really competitive both sides of the ball – lads are obviously annoyed they’re not involved and lads are happy they are involved, but it felt like it was a real buy-in from everyone.”

Last Saturday’s astonishing 38-34 win over Sale Sharks brought Smith his first Premiership start – his fifth overall for the Club – and his 14th appearance in all competitions this season.

He has certainly been involved to a greater degree than what was sometimes a tough two-year spell at Newcastle, where he played on just ten occasions, with four of those in the league and none of them from the start.

When asked if he feels more like a Premiership player now, Smith said: “I’d say this season has been good for me, personally. I’ve managed to overcome a few barriers.

“You’re never sure what the level’s like when you’re sitting in the stands and you get five or ten minutes here or there.

“You never know what to fully expect, but I feel like I’ve been exposed to that a lot more here and every time I get a chance to play I’m enjoying it more, rather than being nervous.

“Last weekend, you were playing some of the most physical players, and in the game against Leicester you’re playing against some of the best players in the world.”

It was in that 19-18 East Midlands derby victory at Leicester Tigers last month where Smith arguably produced the most significant shift of his stint with Saints so far.

Smith had to be introduced with only nine minutes played after Haywood suffered a concussion and if he was feeling the strain in the closing stages at Welford Road, it would be understandable.

However, he and the rest of Phil Dowson’s men stood strong in the closing stages to help Saints pick up their first official Premiership away win of the season.

“It was probably the most I’ve played in front of, in terms of numbers,” Smith said of his first East Midlands Derby experience.

“I didn’t really get time to take in how many people were in the stands at Welford Road, which was a big thing.

“I didn’t get a chance to get nervous, I got chucked in, which personally was the best thing for me, but I loved it.

“I put up my hand for opportunities as many times as I can and I was lucky enough to get good minutes in that game and come away with the win.

“Then I was lucky enough to start against Sale last weekend and that was also a good win, so the experiences for me playing these big teams at this end of the season were massive for me.”

Saturday’s match against Gloucester brings a second home game in two weeks for Saints and Smith is hoping for a similar atmosphere to the one that carried them towards one of the greatest comebacks in their history against Sale last week.

The Sharks, depleted by Manu Tuilagi’s red card, led 34-19 with 63 minutes played at the Gardens, but the hosts refused to lie down and found their best form just in time to keep themselves third in the table, just above this weekend’s opponents.

Smith said: “Just being in it and feeling how the crowd got behind us and helped us get over the line was incredible.

“Even for the break just before [Fraser Dingwall’s match-winning try] you could feel it, everyone was on the edge of the seat.

“It was massive and I think it went a very long way in spurring the team on to get that final score.”