Tears of joy as Smith bags Lions place
FIN Smith admits there were plenty of tears following the announcement that he would be part of the British & Irish Lions to tour Australia later this year.
The former Shipston RFC junior has been nothing short of a sensation at Northampton Saints this season, putting in a string of performances that led to his call-up for the England side in their Guinness Six Nations clash with eventual champions France where his performance at fly-half earned him the Man of the Match award.
Smith’s sparkling display meant that he had been predicted to land a place in the Lions squad but he explained that waiting for the announcement with his Northampton teammates was a nervous time.
He said: “I was sat with a load of the other lads and watched the other boys get called out and was like: ‘Oh no, this is going to be awful if it doesn’t happen for me now.’
“Then it got announced and I was an absolute wreck. I don’t really cry and never have but I was bawling my eyes out. I went outside and phoned my parents. They were both sobbing, I was sobbing on the other end of the phone. We didn’t actually say a word to each other, we just sort of watched each other cry and then hung up the phone.
“It’s something so rare in sport these days that you find out in that manner. It really is that rare and raw. Mental. What a day.”
Smith’s parents, Andrew and Judith, are Scottish which led to some rivalry during the Six Nations and the 23-year-old half-back will be following in the footsteps of his grandfather Tom Elliot - a Scottish prop who toured South Africa with the Lions 70 years ago.
He added: “It’s the pinnacle really isn’t it? It gets me emotional thinking about it. I’ve grown up running around in his (Elliot’s) old kit and his old blazer. I believe that I’m English and play for England. He obviously played for Scotland, but all I’ve ever wanted to do is be like him and replicate him.
“To actually have the chance to do that and wear the same shirt and the same badge that he did is incredibly special. It made mum and her side of the family pretty emotional yesterday.
“They’re all at home with their Scottish accents and can half-heartedly cheer for me when I play for England but this is the pinnacle really and doing what he’s done and following in his footsteps is the main thing out of everything with this, for me.
“That’s what makes me more proud than any individual accolade I could have. It’s amazing. It’s pretty cool.”
The Lions play a match against Argentina in Dublin at the end of June before heading to Australia, playing Western Force in Perth on 28th June. There will be three games against the Wallabies as part of their nine-match tour before heading home at the start of August.
