New, improved Smith ready for Reds debut

Feb 22, 2017 - 4:51 AM Queensland Reds fans hoping to see the George Smith of old on Friday night will be disappointed - but the Wallabies great says the new and improved version is much better anyway.

The evergreen 36-year-old will make his first appearance for the Reds in their Super Rugby season opener against the Sharks at Suncorp Stadium.

Their other big-name off-season recruits Stephen Moore, Scott Higginbotham and Quade Cooper have also been named to start but there is a back-row surprise with youngster Adam Korczyk preferred at No.6 over abrasive Japan international Hendrik Tui.

Smith is eager to get started with the Reds, a team he described as having "no inhibition" and at peak fitness after an exhaustive summer under new coach Nick Stiles.

But in a warning to the Durban-based Sharks, he said his years in European and Japanese rugby have made him a "more complete player" than the last time local audiences saw him.

"I've developed into a different player to what I was in my past years," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"I may not be as fast as I was when I was 19 years old but I think I'm a lot smarter in the way I play the game and I read the game a lot better than I used to.

"I hope they don't expect the George Smith of old. I'd rather be the player I am now."

Smith also dismissed out of hand the notion he is too old for Super Rugby or incapable of playing a full 80 minutes.

"The pace you play in Japan is extremely high ... if you look at those games, those questions wouldn't arise, but I understand people haven't seen Japanese rugby," he said.

Higginbotham will join Korczyk and Smith at the back of the scrum but there is no room in the squad for Leroy Houston, a sign of the incredible depth at Stiles' disposal.

"He's a bolter, maybe, to a few people," Stiles said of 22-year-old Korczyk.

"But we didn't (want to) just pick a team on names and reputations. He's earned the honour."

Chris Kuridrani's hot pre-season form has meant a berth on the wing ahead of Izaia Perese, one of three players set to make their Super Rugby debuts off the bench.

The others are lock Izack Rodda and prop Markus Vanzati - the latter who was born in Sweden, raised in South Australia and took up rugby because he didn't have the build to play AFL.

"So he sought out rugby union and actually reached out to Toowoomba Grammar (School) himself and asked if he could join them. It's an amazing story," Stiles said.

Queensland Reds: Karmichael Hunt, Chris Kuridrani, Samu Kerevi, Duncan Paia'aua, Eto Nabuli, Quade Cooper, Nick Frisby, Scott Higginbotham, George Smith, Adam Korczyk, Kane Douglas, Rob Simmons, Sam Talakai, Stephen Moore, James Slipper (capt). Res: Andrew Ready, Markus Vanzati, Sef Fa'agase, Izack Rodda, Hendrik Tui, James Tuttle, Jake McIntyre, Izaia Perese.

Source: AAP