Smith raring to go

Andrew Smith made the move West this season having been part of the Irish 7s setup beforehand, and with each game he continues to grow in the green jersey of Connacht.

He scored his first try for the club when Connacht were last at home along with picking up the Player of the Match award in the win over Bristol. He spoke to media ahead of Connacht's game against Scarlets.

"Its nice being involved in squads and getting game time"

"There's healthy compeititon amongst us which is great and keeps driving standards"

"I'm really enjoying my time here so far"

"Coming into any new environment you've got a point to prove"

"It was a massive aspect of coming in to really challenge myself and learn from a good group and coaches"

Having come from the 7s circuit, Smith has had to adapt to the longer playing time of the 15s game. The Connacht winger feels this is something that takes a bit of time to get use to but one he's adapting to quick.

"You can only adjust yourself to that time difference of the games by playing matches"

"There's definitely a massive difference between the two but as I said, you can only get your body clicking right by getting games under your belt"

If selected this weekend it will be his fourth game to start in-a-row as the side get set for Scarlets at Dexcom Stadium.

"It's great that we're back at home and I think we may have a full crowd or close to which is what you want to play in"

"Scarlets are dangerous and have dangerous individuals but we're looking forward to that challenge"

• asmith
• professional