By George! Smith puts Lions ahead of his family

George Smith today admitted his desire to help Australia win a second Test series against the Lions had forced him to put his family second to rugby.

Four years after his last international appearance and 12 years since he played such a key role in the Wallabies’ 2-1 series win against the Lions, the 32-year-old openside flanker was named in Australia’s starting XV for Saturday’s decisive Third test.

It was feared that a ligament injury suffered in May would keep him on the sidelines but Smith has fully recovered and will take his place in the starting line-up at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium.

He said: “The recovery I’ve had has been fantastic. Those four weeks leading up to being invited into the camp last week were very intense.

“I was probably very selfish with a lot of the things I did, I didn’t do too much media and didn’t spend as much time with the family as I should have because I wanted to be a part of this series.”

Smith (above) said his 111th Test would definitely be his last — he announced his retirement from international rugby in 2010 — and hoped his swan-song would conclude with a 2-1 series win.

“In terms of rugby, it’s the ultimate for me,” said Smith. “To be selected in the starting 15 for this decider, there’s nothing higher for me at the moment. To have longevity to play consecutive series in Australia, I’m very pleased.

“It’s something that, when it’s all done, I’ll reflect on the magnitude of it but at the moment it’s all about focusing on the job at hand and that’s winning this Saturday.

“I’ve changed enormously because I played on instinct in 2001, I’d only had three or four Test matches under my belt. So I was very green in terms of my gameplay and in terms of being in the right spot at the right time.

“My rugby awareness is a lot better nowadays. I’m not saying I’m a perfect player or anything like that, I’m just a student of the sport.”

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans said: “He’s class, isn’t he? To have achieved what George has throughout his career, and return to play at the highest level after such a long break, is a testament to the quality of the man, both as a person and as a player.”

WALLABIES team K Beale; I Folau, A Ashley-Cooper, C Leali’ifano, J Tomane; J O’Connor, W Genia; B Robinson, S Moore, B Alexander, K Douglas, J Horwill (capt), B Mowen, G Smith, W Palu.

Replacements: S Fainga’a, J Slipper, S Kepu, R Simmons, B McCalman, M Hooper, N Phipps, J Mogg.