Northampton Saints sign lock George Smith ahead of 2024/25 season
George Smith joined Northampton in the final months of the 2023/24 Gallagher Premiership title-winning season
©Steve Haag
Northampton Saints have announced the signing of lock George Smith ahead of the 2024/25 season.
A product of NFL's international player pathway, Smith turned down a career in American football and joined the Saints in April ahead of their Premiership triumph.
He also played for second tier Championship club Coventry ahead of the 2022/23 season and extended his stay into the 2023/24 campaign.
However, in January of this year, Smith chose to join the NFL's International Player Pathway program before he was approached by the Saints.
“I was out in America but it just wasn’t really for me,” said Smith to the club's official website.
“I wanted to pursue rugby more than American Football. Shieldsy [Paul Shields, Head of Recruitment and Retention] rang me up asking if I wanted to come in, train with the boys and see if it was the right fit. It felt like home from day one.
“Everyone was really welcoming and Phil Dowson made it clear he wanted me to sign, so it was a good first few days. I don’t want to be playing anywhere else.
“I took away a lot of things from the NFL experience. I am a much better athlete now than I was six, seven months ago. In terms of my athletic development, it was massive. It has only pushed me to become bigger, stronger and quicker.”
