Smith Preparing For Warriors

28th May 2015 By Munster Rugby

Having joined the province on a one-year contract last summer, Andrew Smith would love nothing more than to finish his time at Munster with some silverware.

However, the centre recognises that doing so won't come easy, certainly against the form side of the Guinness PRO12 this season.

Since joining from Brumbies, the Sydney native has become a regular in the Munster midfield, winning 20 caps to date, scoring 5 tries along the way and adapting his game to meet the different idiosyncrasies of the northern hemisphere game.

“It’s quite hard to compare the two but as a back I’ve noticed there is a lot more for us to do at the breakdown up here. There’s also more of an onus on backs to have strong carries and to provide go-forward ball, while back home you can hang wide and wait for the ball to come to you – you don’t need to get involved as often, whereas here you always need to be looking to hit the breakdown or help your forwards in carrying.”

Across the season the 30 year old has become one of Munster’s most consistent and reliable performers, and in that time has forged an impressive centre partnership with Denis Hurley.

“Like any player, the more you start to play with them the more you understand them and how you can work off them on the field. Denis is a quality player and I’ve played most of the season with him. We’ve been developing together nicely as the season has gone on and things are going quite well now.”

A rich vein of form so far this month has netted Munster a total of 12 tries in just three games.

“It’s been nice to have some good weather of late, the sunny afternoons are great for running rugby, but I think the main reason for getting these tries has been the team coming together – with the internationals returning the team has continued to evolve and our structures have developed. As we’ve developed those, it’s given the backs a bit more ball to play with.”

While Munster have played an impressive brand of rugby of late, it’s arguably their opposition this weekend that have looked the most exciting of all the PRO12 teams with ball in hand – a sentiment echoed by the Munster centre.

“They’re a very dangerous side with a big and strong pack of forwards and a dangerous set of backs. Finn Russell controls the game very well and Stuart Hogg is one of the best around when it comes to the counter attack. There’s threats all over the park and this will be the toughest of challenges for us that’s for sure.”

As Smith prepares to play his final game in the famous red jersey, this weekend’s encounter could also see Paul O’Connell don the red of Munster for the final time. Aside from playing for Munster, the chance to play alongside one of the game’s most iconic second rows was, according to Smith, a prestigious honour in its own right.

“He’s a huge figure back home as well. He’s the guy you’ve always watched and admired from afar so to get to play with him was an absolute privilege and something special that I’ll treasure forever. You learn a lot from how he carries himself within the squad – his leadership, his professionalism and just his presence alone cannot be overstated. Playing with him has been an amazing experience all by itself.”

Munster v Glasgow Warriors, Guinness PRO12 Final, Saturday May 30th at Kingspan Stadium – KO 6.30pm.