Scotland international hooker Robbie Smith is buzzing about the prospect of a return to the Black, Green and Gold jersey as he nears the end of a challenging rehabilitation process.
Mere months after making his senior Test debut for Scotland off the bench against Canada, Smith’s season for Northampton Saints was cut cruelly short last October when he suffered a terrible knee injury against Sale Sharks, which curtailed his season.
“In the first five minutes of the game, I came around the corner, off the back of a lineout move, and stepped, and I think that’s when the first part of my injury happened,” Smith said.
“I passed the ball, and then Tom Curry of all people folded me in mid-air, which probably didn’t help the knee after that.
“I didn’t really know what to think. I was lying on the ground, and it almost felt like I had taken a kick to the knee.
“It was a strange feeling. I remember just looking at the sky, and everything sort of went quiet. Because I couldn’t lift my leg, I couldn’t lift my shin off the floor, so I knew something was pretty bad. But I just remember feeling absolutely gutted.”
It’s been a long road to recovery for Smith. Due to the serious nature of the injury, he required three separate surgeries – with the last one being in December of 2024.
Smith said: “It was a dark winter for me. I was on crutches for three months; it was pretty tough.
“The Club have been great. It’s a tough injury to do, but I don’t think I could have done it in a better place, in terms of the way the Club and the lads have got behind me. Even supporters and fans you meet in Sainsbury’s, they ask you how you’re getting on.
“There’s a real family feeling around this Club; everybody wants to see you do well and get back on the pitch.”
Robbie Smith
“The injury came at such a difficult time for me. I felt like I was getting myself into the team more regularly, and I just came off the back of the summer tour, where I’d got my first two caps from Scotland.
“All those thoughts were going through my head. It’s the unknown, which is the worst. I wouldn’t say the pain for me was anything too crazy at that point, but your whole world’s just been turned upside down in a matter of two minutes.”
But after almost 11 months out of action, Smith is now nearing the end of his arduous road to recovery and is eager to get back on the pitch with his Saints teammates.
He said: “I think the biggest thing for me was that, obviously, I was hungry to play for Scotland again, and I made a promise to myself that that’s where I want to get back to, and that this injury wasn’t the end.
“I'm happy to be back amongst the lads and doing a lot more training. I'm still not 100% but hopefully, come September, I’ll be back in contention.
“It feels like I'm a new player. It’s strange, like your first day in the Academy. I remember when I was back in the academy at Glasgow, when I got my first pre-season up there, and it’s the exact same feeling. I’m just buzzing to come into work and get going again.”
