The Australian-born forward, however, has benefited from some extended rest and will now return for Glasgow in tomorrow night’s pre-season friendly against Northampton Saints.
Smith said: “I’m obviously excited for him. He’s recovered and he’s worked so hard to get physically in good condition to be able to play again. I can see the excitement in him as well, so looking forward to having him back. But we’re also realistic. It’s going to take a bit of time for him to get in form, so the ideal place to start is Friday night.
“[It has been tough for him] from a mental perspective, I think he wants to contribute and he wanted to contribute at the back end of last season. Definitely, he was really frustrated to not be able to do that. But then again, with that injury, he’s had surgery on his leg before in that region, in his hamstring area, so we didn’t want to take any risks to make the wrong call there. We had to bite the bullet, as he did. Now a lot of time has passed and I think he’s now ready to go.”
Glasgow’s prop crisis also seems to be easing. Nathan McBeth has recovered from an injury sustained in training to start against Saints, with Jamie Bhatti deemed fit enough for the bench. Fin Richardson starts again at tighthead, his position covered by Sam Talakai.
Smith added: “In an ideal world, we would have liked to have waited another week with [Bhatti], but he’s presented really well and he’s trained well this week as the loading went on. So I think he’ll play some part. Obviously it will be a [beginning] for him tomorrow night, but it’s good to use this game to bring him back rather than the start of the season.”
Dan Lancaster makes his first start at No.10 and Smith has been as impressed by his character as much as his talent.
“Most of my interests sat there. The fact that he’s resilient and he’s not faced by things he can’t control, his ability to adapt, I thought was what stood out. Not just his playing ability. Having children playing this game at a professional level, it brings a lot of stress to the household. The way he’s managed and dealt with that and continued to be selected and perform on the other side of it is a compliment to the person. That is part of the reason we got him in here.”
Like the departed Tom Jordan, Lancaster can also play at 12 but Smith doesn’t want to make comparisons.
“Everybody’s got their own strengths and should bring their own to the party. I don’t like to compare people. I don’t want him to be like somebody. I don’t want that to be considered. I think he must bring his own niche to the game. He will fill some of the space that Tom filled for us over the last three years. Hopefully he can grow in that role.
“Tom is a good example of a youngster that came to the club a little bit unknown, no real opportunity and then grew with us. I hope this is similar for him. I hope he grows with the team to become the best version of himself.”