Tom Smith: 'Boston Strangler' is on the prowl in St Andrews

• A fearsome prop renowned for his ball-handling, Tom Smith was always determined to give something back to the game by helping to develop players. Picture: Jayne Emsley

Smith acquired the nickname "The Boston Strangler" in his early days as a British and Irish Lion. It is not something he likes to be reminded of, stemming as it does from the fact that, as a sufferer of nocturnal epilepsy, he had, once or twice, woken up a room-mate while in a trance-like state. It provided endless hours of amusement for his team-mates and, being the quiet sort, Smith just took it in the vein intended.

On the field, however, he developed a more realistic reputation as a "silent assassin", a loosehead prop whose liking for undermining the world's best props and leaving them for dead in the scrum or in the loose with sublime handling skills was at odds with his under-stated demeanour. A year ago, he returned to Scotland to pursue his desire to put something back into Scottish rugby after his playing career ended.

On finishing with Northampton, he was courted by clubs in England and France, where he enjoyed a spell at Brive. But, since his schooldays at Rannoch and fledgling games with Dundee HSFP, while studying at the city's university, and Watsonians, and through an international career of nine years and 61 caps, he has been drawn to improving the lot of Scottish players.

He was one, he knows the difficulties for a small country with big expectations and he has always bridled at how excuses can play a part in limiting Scottish success.

Hence, the "Prowler" and the wicked smile playing across his face in the Fife sunshine this week. The "Prowler" is a simple little contraption, a steel frame with rods rising vertically to hold weights. Players are challenged to push it ten metres or so across the grass with anything from 60kg to 100kg-plus pushing it down.

There are no wheels and, as the turf cuts up, the challenge becomes harder, so it was no surprise this week to see the players with savvy getting in first. It was illuminating to watch some players drive it almost clean through with stunning power and determination and others, just as muscle-bound, toil in obvious agony.

"It is a good exercise," said Smith. "It is about getting players into the technical positions needed to drive rucks and to scrummage hard, but it is also about determination and not giving up. We had it at Northampton and it sorts out some players. Playing in Scotland and for Scotland, you won't get anywhere if you're not determined and prepared to keep going."

It is also perhaps a sign of the increase in intensity of coaching. At just 38 Smith accepts that Edinburgh's hiring of him was a risk, and concedes that, in his first year as Edinburgh's forwards coach, working with Rob Moffat and Nick Scrivener, that he would change if he had the year to do again. There has been a sense of all three coaches feeling their way in a first post-Andy Robinson year, however, and as clear a sense this summer that the trio want to lift the bar.

Identifying a lack of strong leadership is one area well spoken-of since the captaincy was taken from Mike Blair and handed to 23-year-old flanker Roddy Grant. The loss of Allister Hogg and Jim Hamilton could hurt Edinburgh, but the arrival of Esteban Lozada and Netani Talei are designed to bolster leadership strengths.

Smith outlines how the coaches stripped down the requirements of a leader - someone who can take charge and sort problems on the field during games rather than wait until Monday to recognise and address them, set fine examples in all that they do on and off the field, has rugby intelligence and is articulate.

Grant has been chosen because he measures up, but Smith insists there are many Edinburgh players "with that potential" and acknowledges that, with Ross Rennie back fit, even Grant's place in the team is not certain.

"No-one is certain of his place," he said. "We need strong competition, but also a good squad because few players will play every game now. I often had runs of 32 or 33 games a season, and more with internationals, and I wanted it that way but, with the benefit of hindsight, it didn't make me a better player.

"Sticking a week in here or there, where a player can just concentrate on improving skills, strength or fitness, or just to have a rest, maybe even go off to the sun for a week in the middle of January when his body is feeling battered, can create a better player.

"Players do lose sharpness or explosiveness and supporters wonder why, but it's often because they are playing too much back to back, especially if they start the season in August, play every Heineken Cup game, every Scotland match in November, return to Magners League and Heineken Cup in December and January, and then play the whole Six Nations.

"You give players lighter training sessions to cope, but as coaches we have to ask ourselves: 'How do I get each player playing at 90-95 percent of his best rather than 80?'

"If I asked Chunk (Allan Jacobsen] if he wanted to play every week, he'd say 'definitely', and would argue that he gets better if he plays every week. There is something in that, up to a point, and it's for the coaches to recognise when that point is and manage it for the benefit of the player and the team."

Where Smith differs from some, however, is that he struggles with platitudes in any environment, so when I ask if supporters have to simply accept player rotation - particularly with two Italian teams in the league and so four more games this season - a frown swiftly creases his brow.

"It's not rotation - the jersey won't just pass around. We're spending pre-season encouraging every player to be competitive, to believe that they can be the starting prop, hooker, openside, stand-off or whatever, and we mean that.

"But the fundamentals must always remain, that you have to earn the jersey, no-one will just hand it to you. It's important that there is still a pecking order. We're not going to say to the props 'right, we're going to rotate you each week'. No, it's: 'You've earned the right to be No 1 and you're starting, and you and you have to fight to get there, and this is what you've got to do'.

"I just expect guys to fight and make the choices hard, and, hopefully, easier to make a change that doesn't affect the team."

Smith likes the make-up of the squad and is pleasantly surprised by the quality of the nine academy players now firmly attached to the Edinburgh squad to the extent that he predicts that at least one will make his 1st XV debut this season.

"The only thing restricting their progress is their ambition and capability. We'll work on the capability but the ambition is down to them, and that goes for everyone. What better environment is there to develop in than, if you're a full-back for example, watching Chris Paterson working on his game and spending hours every week on his goal-kicking? Some believe that Chris is a world-class goal-kicker because he's just got that talent, when these boys are seeing that actually he's good because he practises.

"Why is Geoff Cross such a strong scrummager? Well, work beside him in the gym, watch him on the 'Prowler', and he does things that relate to scrummaging very well, and it translates."

There is that 'Prowler' again, a reminder certainly in Smith's mind that any Edinburgh player not pulling his weight this season in the club's determination to drive upwards should perhaps think about a different career.