Stormers lock Adre Smith says his aspirations to reach the Springbok squad is fuelling his fire in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.

Smith – who will make his 50th appearance for the Cape side should he be selected against the Ospreys – got a rare start in the season-opener against Leinster on Friday, and was prominent in the lineouts and a strong ball carrier in open play.

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Smith returned to the Stormers after missing the latter half of the URC last season due to a sabbatical in Japan, where he played for Toyota Verblitz. He says now that he’s back, he’s determined to have a strong season as a regular starter to increase his chances of reaching higher honours.

“Being away in Japan just made me realise I need to work harder when I get back. I’ve got no problems making an impact from the bench, but it’s also important for me to get more regular starts. If I don’t start, I won’t get to where I want to be. For me the green and gold is a goal I’m aiming for and working towards, but if I’m stuck on the bench I won’t get there.”

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The 28-year-old says he’s come back as a more complete player and credits his time in Japan and the coaches he was exposed to, as playing a big role.

“It was initially quite an adjustment, with most of the calls being in Japanese,” Smith recalls.

“But the coaches there taught me a very valuable lesson. They said South Africans are by nature physical, so I don’t have to spend extra time working on being physical. I need to learn the more non-physical stuff which I can add to my physicality. They taught me how to use my body, how to use space and because of that I got so many more line-breaks in the few games I played up there.”

With the 35-0 demolition of the defending champions now firmly behind them, coach John Dobson will have more reason to smile as props Oli Kebble and Sazi Sandi as well as centurion Deon Fourie have all become available for selection for Friday’s night’s clash against the Ospreys at Cape Town Stadium.

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