DILLON SMIT RETURNS AGAINST SEAWOLVES

‘Very excited to be back,’ SaberCats’ scrum-half Dillon Smit returns against Seawolves

Second-year SaberCats player has recovered from leg injury

By Aaron Wilson

Dillon Smit waited a long time, rebuilding trust, flexibility and explosiveness in his leg.

For the SaberCats’ scrum-half, the convalescence and healing process is over.

Now, the South Africa native is back on the field with his teammates for a 7-3 squad heading into Saturday’s home match at SaberCats Stadium against the Seattle Seawolves.

Carlo de Nysschen filled in capably during Smit’s absence, which goes back to the start of the season when he tore his hamstring against the Dallas Jackals.

“Very excited to be back, it’s been a long time since I’ve been on the pitch,” Smith said after a Thursday practice session. “Very excited to be back.”

The process of getting back on the field was arduous, and it required a ton of patience and hard work.

“I tore it twice, I came back and I pulled it in the first five minutes and got taken out of the game,” Smith said. “It’s 100 percent ready to go.”

Before Smit could return, he worked diligently with the SaberCats’ training staff to ensure he wasn’t rushing back on the field to avoid a setback.

“We did a lot of rehab stuff,” Smit said. “There was a four-week build-up of training and speed work. I’ve got confidence from running on the field.”

This is Smit’s second season with the SaberCats.

Smit, 30, has previous stints with the Lions in Super Rugby, the Golden Lions in the Currie Cup and the Golden Lions XV in the Rugby Challenge.

He was re-signed during the offseason for his second stint with the SaberCats after playing 1,190 minutes last season in 16 starts with three tries.

A graduate of the Tegniese School who enrolled at North-West University, Smit played Varsity Cup Rugby with the NWU Pukke and was named to the Dream Team.

It’s all been good preparation for these key matches for Smit and the SaberCats.

“This is a very big match,” Smit said. “I think the odds are against us against Seattle. We’re definitely going into the game as underdogs. That’s what we like. We thrive on good character.

“For me, first game back, it’s about fitting into the team again. I don’t want to make it about myself. If I can have a great game, that’s good. I just want to do the basics well and do what I can do to help the team. That’s my first priority.”

*Photos by Nicolas Romero