Colin Smart

Having previously played for both the Wales Student team, and the England Under-23 side, Smart's international career could have taken him in either direction.[10] Smart was initially offered a chance to play for Wales against New Zealand in 1974. This was a Welsh squad that included many of the players, JPR Williams, Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett, central to the only British and Irish Lions team to have ever defeated the All Blacks at home in 1971.[11] He turned down the invitation,[12] deciding instead to accept his first trial for the England the following month.[13] While he was not selected for England on this occasion, Smart was selected by London Counties to play against Australia, in November 1975.[5] Smart was finally called up to the full England team in 1979, making his debut at Twickenham Stadium against France. He then went on to appear 17 times for England, making his last appearance for England at Lansdowne Road against Ireland in 1983.[1]

Following his debut in the Five Nations Championship, Smart was selected for England's Far East Tour in May, 1979 under the captaincy of Bill Beaumont.[14] He played in two of the Test matches, defeating Japan 21:19 in Osaka, and Fiji 29:7 in Suva.[15] It was during the Japanese leg of this tour, which coincided with one of the three great Sumo Wrestling festivals of the year, that his team-mate John Scott first named Colin "Sumo" Smart and his younger, regular, front row 'tight-head' partner Gary Pearce "Baby Sumo", nicknames that stuck within the England camp for the rest of their careers.[16]

Smart missed out on the England team's victorious 1980 Grand Slam, his number one jersey being taken by the three-time British Lions forward Fran Cotton. However, when Fran Cotton retired, Smart was recalled to the England team.[17] He played in three of the 1981 Five Nations Championship games alongside Phil Blakeway at tighthead and Peter Wheeler at hooker, with England winning against Scotland and Wales, before losing to France in the final match at Twickenham. The French, under the captaincy of Jean-Pierre Rives and featuring a young Serge Blanco in his first international season, won 16 to 12, to complete the Grand Slam.[18]

With Phil Blakeway and Peter Wheeler unable to travel, Smart resumed his front row partnership with Gary Pearce on the 1981 tour to Argentina, with the rooky Steve Mills at hooker.[19] This front row partnership proved successful as England carried the test series, following a 19:19 draw with a 12:6 win in the deciding match.[18]

Smart started all four games in the 1982 Five Nations Championship with a draw against Scotland, a narrow loss against Ireland, and wins against France and Wales leaving England as runners-up to Ireland. Later in the year Smart also played in the 60:19 win over the Fiji touring side at Twickenham.

Smart is remembered for the infamous "Aftershave Incident" in 1982. While in Paris, after beating France in the Five Nations, England teammate Maurice Colclough emptied a bottle of free aftershave from the after-match meal, filled it with wine, and drank from it. Thinking that Colclough had drunk the aftershave and not wanting to appear upstaged by his teammate, Smart drank his bottle of aftershave.[20] This made him very ill and he was required to go to hospital to have his stomach pumped.[20] The incident was alluded to a month later, after England had beaten Wales, by Steve Smith who quipped: "The aftershave will sure taste good tonight!"[21]

As in 1982 Smart played every minute of the Five Nations' matches England participated in, though it ended up being a far less successful Championship than the previous four years. England lost to France, Scotland and Ireland, and only managed a draw against Wales.