Tom Smith returns to action this weekend ahead of schedule following shoulder surgery over the summer, and he's keen to make up for lost time.
The 24-year old back-rower underwent a shoulder reconstruction in June and had been pencilled for a return to action in late November. But, like teammate James Hook who also had shoulder surgery on the same day, Smith has worked hard with the Ospreys medical team to return earlier than anticipated and will return to action in the Premership for Aberavon against Llandovery on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s going to be nice to get back out on the field at last” he said.
“I’ve been itching to go for a few weeks but now I’m ready and I can’t wait to get out there again. I’ve been training hard, the physios and conditioners have pushed me through rehab and I feel that I’m ready to play now. That’s what it’s all about, getting onto the field for game time.”
With Smith and Hook sidelined together with shoulder injuries, the pair worked hard side-by-side in rehab as they worked their way back to fitness. Hook returned to action in last weekend’s West Wales derby at Parc y Scarlets, and now that he is fit, Smith is keen to stake a claim for a place in the team over the coming months, to follow on from the fine form he showed in an Ospreys shirt last season:
“It was a shoulder with James, but his was a different sort of injury. We’ve been there for each other and we’ve pushed each other along the way. It’s always helpful to have a training partner and we’ve certainly given each other motivation. I think we’ve both done pretty well to get back in the timescales that we have.
“I’m just looking to get some game time under my belt. Nothing you can do in training is like actually playing so hopefully I’ll be able to get that important game time so that I can try and stake my claim for a position in the team. There are plenty of games coming up over the next couple of months, the season runs straight through the international breaks so there’ll be good opportunities for the likes of myself to work hard and try and get back into some sort of form and fitness.
“It’s about picking up where I left off now. Hopefully I’ll be able to get up to speed over the next few weeks and kick on from there.”