Northampton Saints’ Director of Rugby Phil Dowson believes that new recruit George Smith’s physicality can be a real point of difference, after adding the towering forward to his squad ahead of the 2024/25 season.
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The 6ft 8in tall lock teamed up with the men in Black, Green and Gold in the final months of the 2023/24 Gallagher Premiership title-winning season, having arrived from the NFL Player Pathway programme in the USA.
Smith, who previously played for Coventry in the Championship, impressed the coaching team during his period at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens and Dowson is looking forward to having the 138kg second row available for selection next term.
“George’s superpower is that he is 6ft 8in and he can move really quickly,” he said. “The guy is unbelievably physical. When he first arrived, we tested him and his power-per-kilogram scores were incredible – the best we’ve seen in years.
“George comes from a totally different background, there’s no academy history for him. He played well for Coventry in the Premiership Rugby Cup against Saracens and also scored against Gloucester.”