20 Questions: Sam Smith – Worcester winger

First impressions of Worcester?
Really enjoying it. Love the club, love the city and I’m getting stuck into the lifestyle. I’m living by the racecourse which is handy for dog walking.
Tough decision leaving Harlequins?
Of course. I’d been there six years and it was always going to be a hard choice to leave, but I’m really happy with the decision I’ve made. I’ll always look back at my time at Quins fondly but I don’t feel any attachment now.
How’s working for Dean Ryan?
He’s got a serious rugby brain and some of the ideas and concepts he has are very innovative. That’s what we need to move Worcester forward.
Have you seen Dean’s ‘Big, bad wolf’ side?
He’s had his moments! But for the majority of the time he’s really encouraging and you can tell he’s so passionate to push this club in the right direction.
Best and worst banter at Warriors?
I like Ryan Lamb’s banter, although I might be scraping the barrel there! He’s quite funny. Worst has to be Matt Cox, who’s a complete nause and bores everyone rigid.
Best and worst dressed?
James Stephenson is very ‘on trend.’ But definitely ‘off trend’ are our front row, especially Nick Schonert who’s from South Africa and needed fashion lessons when he arrived.
Where did you start in rugby?
At Godalming & Guildford RFC when I was 13. From there I progressed through England Schoolboys to Quins after being spotted by Collin Osborne.
Bit of a late starter at 13?
My dad (Simon) was a rugby player so being a bit rebellious as a kid, I tried everything else first. But as a former wing himself, dad’s been really helpful.
What other sports did you play?
Football, swimming, basketball, karate, skateboarding… pretty much everything. My mum rowed for GB and a tried that as well before choosing rugby.
Rugby hero growing up?
I loved watching Josh Lewsey. He was at the top of his game when I started playing rugby, scoring lots of tries and never really having a bad game.
If you could be another sportsman?
Kobe Bryant or LeBron James. I enjoy basketball and they have pretty cool lifestyles, playing lots of games and not having to train too much.
How do you chill-out?
I’ve got a springer spaniel called Kobe so I spend a lot of time looking after him. Other than that it’s usual stuff like going to the cinema with the lads or out for food.
Any good at cooking?
Love cooking. Normally it’s standard rugby player stuff like lots of sweet potato, chicken and fish – mainly salmon and sea bass – but I’ll back myself to knock up a decent roast.
If you could invite three special dinner guests?
Rihanna, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Mila Kunis, for fairly obvious reasons. They’d love my roast and would make very good guests!
Rituals or superstitions?
I always cook a double load of spaghetti Bolognese the night before a game. I’m lazy before matches so I can just warm-up the leftovers for my pre-match meal.
Pet hates or annoyances?
I hate it when people promise something but fail to deliver, and I hate bad drivers because I tend to get pretty bad bouts of road rage.
Change anything about rugby?
Every back would say they wouldn’t mind rugby being played in the summer. Pre-season might not be as much fun but you’d have better games over the year. And I hate choke tackles, we should get rid of them.
Best places visited?
I went to Argentina with England for the U20s World Cup in 2010 and that was really good. Then this summer I went to Los Angeles, stayed on Venice Beach and chilled-out, which was superb.
TV you watch/turn off?
I really enjoy Hannibal and Breaking Bad, but the stuff I can’t stand are breakfast shows like Good Morning.
Ambitions for this season?
To nail down a starting place here and use the experiences I’ve had at Quins to help improve the team, change the mentality into a winning one and get us back into the Premiership, where we want to be competitive.