Whisper Relishes Buzz of Europe Heineken Cup Tom Smith May Have Quit the International Scene, but He Still has Plenty to Play for at Northampton, Reports Alasdair Reid

Summary

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TOM Smith always had a stubborn streak, so it seems fitting that the memories of him in his international prime should have a certain staying power too. For just as he refused to yield to any of the grizzled malcontents he met in the Test arena, the images of the courage and obduracy he showed there are too deep-rooted to make way easily to any more suited to an individual in the pipes-and- slippers stage of his playing career.

Not that Smith is quite there yet, for his place in the Northampton side who take on Biarritz Olympique at the Parc des Sports Aquilera this afternoon offers ample evidence that his paymasters at the English club believe there is useful life left in the legs of the 34-year-old yet. Indeed, such was their faith in the player, who turns 35 on the last day of this month, that they recently extended his contract to the end of next season.

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Whisper Relishes Buzz of Europe Heineken Cup Tom Smith May Have Quit the International Scene, but He Still has Plenty to Play for at Northampton, Reports Alasdair Reid

All being well, Smith should also be around to offer a typically robust welcome to the Border Reivers players who pitch up at Northampton's Franklin's Gardens ground on Saturday. And given that the Borderers could field something close to the cur...

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