My Life in Rugby: Ollie Smith – former Leicester, England and Lions centre

Making the British and Irish Lions tour in 2005 was an achievement I couldn’t really comprehend. The squad was announced on the Monday and then my dad, Melvin, dropped dead from a heart attack on the Thursday – it was the highest point in my career and the lowest point in my life in the space of a week.
I almost didn’t go to New Zealand, but dad would have cursed in his grave if I hadn’t. I think I can count on two hands the number of Leicester Tigers home games me and my dad missed over about 18 years.
He got me into rugby as a seven-year-old and I was at Welford Road on and off from then up until I left the club at the age of 25.
New Zealand was an incredible experience, an absolute rollercoaster of emotions, and I never actually lost in the jersey.
I was up against Brian O’Driscoll though, I was never going to jump ahead of him. I had a few games but no starts.
At times on that tour I felt like life had been taken away from me.  I realised that there’s more to life than rugby because up until that point I had been so entranced in playing and winning.
I do think I’m very lucky to have played for Tigers in such a successful period. Playing rugby was all I wanted to do as a kid, I was just there at the right time.
I was the 23rd man for our first Heineken Cup win against Stade Français in 2001, but I can remember going to Cardiff four years earlier as a fan and we got taken apart by Brive 28-9.  I was 15 and I thought my world had ended!
I played in the Heineken Cup final against Munster in 2002 which we won 15-9, but strangely I enjoyed the 2001 one just as much. That was always the thing with me, whenever I was not playing I reverted back to being a fan with my dad in the stand.
The atmosphere inside the Millennium Stadium when we played Munster  was electric. The roof was closed and it made it even more special. To become the first club to win back-to-back European titles is something I will never forget – and I was only 19!
You had a day celebrating the success, but then it was on to the next goal, and that’s what drove us. We created a culture of winning.
I won more in the first  three years of my career than most players do in their entire career – the three consecutive Premiership titles just blur into one if I’m honest. Looking back now, a bit older and wiser, I took it for granted.
I was disappointed to miss out on appearing at a World Cup, especially in 2003 when a shoulder injury ended my season, but at the time I was only 20 so I assumed plenty more would come along. In the end my face just didn’t fit with the international scene, I think my five caps prove that, and perhaps I should have kicked up more of a fuss.
Moving to France, and Montpellier, in 2008 was a life decision, I just wanted to try something different.
My knee injury forced me to stop playing professionally at 28, and somehow I’ve found myself at Esher.
I’m a director of rugby and head coach all-rolled into one. I feel like I’ve got a lot to give back, I just never envisaged it happening so soon.