Saints sign 'unbelievably physical' 6ft 8in, 138kg lock from NFL IPPP

Northampton Saints have announced the signing of former Coventry lock George Smith.

The 6ft 8in, 138kg second row left the Championship outfit earlier this year to join Louis Rees-Zammit and former Saint Harry Mallinder in the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme.

However, while in the United States, he was approached by the Saints, and joined their squad in late April as they went on to win the Gallagher Premiership.

Smith has now committed to the English champions, and will help fill a sizeable hole in the pack at Franklin’s Gardens left by Courtney Lawes, Alex Moon and Lewis Ludlam, who all left the club at the end of the season.

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“I was out in America but it just wasn’t really for me,” said Smith when looking at his move to the NFL.

"If he grew up in the U.S., he'd be a first-round Draft pick"

Travis Clayton & George Smith are the big guys up front turning NFL heads in the IPP 💪

Watch The Pathway on the NFL UK Youtube channel here: https://t.co/9yLuWI67Rl pic.twitter.com/fbCb8y89oJ

— NFL UK & Ireland (@NFLUKIRE) March 26, 2024

“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.”

Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson has been blown away by what he has seen so far from Smith, describing him as “unbelievably physical.”

“George’s superpower is that he is 6ft 8in and he can move really quickly,” he said.

“The guy is unbelievably physical. When he first arrived, we tested him and his power-per-kilogram scores were incredible – the best we’ve seen in years.

“He is a bright lad and got stuck in from the word go. We’ve got someone who is physical, smart and can play the game.”

“George comes from a totally different background, there’s no academy history for him. He played well for Coventry in the Premiership Rugby Cup against Saracens and also scored against Gloucester.”