Smith moved to Warrington as head of coaching and rugby this month

By George Riley BBC Radio 5 Live rugby league expert

Usually when my phone goes off at 5am, it's either a text from a partying mate or a call from the BBC taxi driver asking me to get a move on.

At 5.16am this week, I got a text from the England and new Warrington coach Tony Smith telling me he was up and ready for the chat we had planned for that day.

"I didn't wake you mate, did I?" he asked when I rang him back. "Of course not," was my unconvincing reply to a man who has rediscovered his lust for life back after a real low.

Smith usually wakes at 4:30am, so I should count myself lucky he had afforded himself a lie-in.

We went to the World Cup as third in the world and came back as third in the world, so it wasn't the failure people will have you believe Tony Smith

"I got a bit lazy when I took the England job and didn't get out of bed until 6:30am," he says. Sharing his home with 13 hens, plus chickens and horses, it's no wonder he's an early riser.

Smith is back in a club game he quit in 2007 after guiding Leeds to their second Grand Final success in his four seasons at Headingley.

"Last year, I didn't miss the day-to-day involvement much," he told me. "But things have changed and I miss it badly now.

"As a club coach, whether you get to the Grand Final or not, you are back in training six weeks after your last game, not the six, seven or eight months it would have been for me.

"That's the difficulty of doing the England job. I was keen to get back into the club game, but I didn't expect it to come so soon."

England's run to the semi-finals of last year's World Cup included a string of under-par performances and a 52-4 humbling by Australia.

It left Smith, given a rough ride from the media during the tournament, with plenty of soul-searching to do during the winter, most of which was done at his family farmhouse in the Huddersfield hills.

Smith last got his hands on the Super League title with Leeds in 2007

"I struggled a bit mentally when I got back and it wasn't until after Christmas that I pulled myself together and got on with things.

"I was a little down and knew things had to change for me, so I had a chat with my superiors and told them how I was feeling and that I was keen to get back into club coaching at the end of this year. I didn't really expect to get an opportunity before that.

"I enjoyed my role as the RFL's technical director but some parts of it weren't as fulfilling as club coaching is. I'm very grateful the RFL understood my situation and agreed to let me go. It was a tough call for them as it wasn't an easy thing for them to agree to."

For Smith to feel fulfilled, he needs to have the rugby ball in his hands every day. A superb hands-on coach, he loves the competition.

In his first season at Leeds, he set up a weekly tag rugby session for the coaching staff, players returning from injury and a couple of stragglers such as myself.

You would not believe how fierce the competition was, how much sledging the outwardly mild-mannered Smith indulged in with his peers, and the grief I got every time I knocked on.

"Hands like a digital watch, George," was his frank assessment of my faltering professional aspirations.

606: DEBATE Your thoughts on Tony Smith's move to Warrington

Even this weekly knockabout with his mates was a game Smith had to win. It therefore does not surprise me how personally he took England's World Cup shortcomings.

"Failure is too strong a word for what happened at the World Cup but the aftermath was one of the toughest points of my career," he said.

"We set ourselves pretty high standards and we didn't achieve them.

"All along my career I have had downtimes, but what I do have is determination and drive when things do go wrong to put them right. I want to revitalise Warrington and show people how good this England team is when the Four Nations starts."

You could also forgive Smith for wanting to stick a couple of fingers up at some of the rugby league media for what he perceives as some pretty uncomplimentary, and ultimately counter-productive, reporting of their fruitless World Cup campaign.

"I know I got a lot of flak during the World Cup, but I don't read it so I'm really not bothered," he said. "What did annoy me was that it had a negative effect on the team as they read it and that didn't do their confidence any good.

"It wasn't all the press. Some were very supportive and didn't sensationalise things. Some guys have a very good understanding of what it takes to be successful, but unfortunately the press can have a negative effect on the way athletes perform and I think that is something we need to toughen up on."

Smith came under fire for England's performances at the World Cup

"We went to the World Cup as third in the world and came back as third in the world, so it wasn't the failure people will have you believe," he says.

"If we had gone over there as number one in the world and come back number three, that would have been a failure. In some respects, the outcome was ultimately a fair reflection of where we fit into world rugby."

Smith has always backed himself. He quit as Huddersfield coach in 2003 without having another job lined up because he felt it was time for a change. He is a coach who has never hidden behind a long-term contract and always trusted in his talent.

At the time of leaving the Giants, I remember him saying that if needs be he would drive taxis to pay the bills. Within weeks, Leeds chief Gary Hetherington was in his front room, and Smith's love affair with the Rhinos was about to begin.

It was one that yielded a first championship for the club in 34 years, and a second before he left.

"I don't regret I left Leeds for England," he said. "Whether I fail, or am perceived to have failed by others, I remain determined to do the best job for my country for the remainder of this year at least."

Smith will then discuss his future with the RFL and will, he says, "make some decisions about whether I kick on with the country or stay in club management".

And could he countenance ever becoming Leeds coach again? I didn't expect an answer but I got one. "Never say never, George."

For the moment, though, Smith wants to make the Wolves hungry again.

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