Former Worcester Warriors fly-half Fin Smith has been rewarded with his ‘first prize’ of a call up to the England Six Nations squad.
Head coach, Steve Borthwick, has selected the product of the now defunct Warriors at fly half alongside George Ford and Marcus Smith who boast a wealth of experience in the white number 10 jersey.
Speaking before the announcement of Borthwick’s 36-man England selection, he admitted “it would be first prize for me to be involved in the upcoming Six Nations squad”.
His current side, Northampton Saints, are flying high at the top of the English Premiership where the he has thrived with a series of impressive performances this season.
The in-form Smith has been selected to fill the gap left by England stalwart Owen Farrell who has decided to take a step back from international duty to prioritise his and his family’s mental well-being.
With this being his second call up to the England Six Nations squad, having been selected but not capped in 2023, he will have further opportunities to learn from the most experienced players in rugby.
The 21-year-old explained that he’d learnt a lot from experienced fly halves Farrell and Marcus Smith who have 142 England caps between them in last year’s camp.
“I spoke to Marcus a lot about things on and off the pitch as well as the kicking game and tried to learn as much as possible, the same with Owen.
They’re obviously two guys who play in my position and they were great in trying to help me out”.
England kick off their 2024 Six Nations campaign in Rome on Saturday the 3rd February.
Despite the turbulent period which resulted in the demise of the Sixways based outfit, Smith spoke of happy memories from his time at the club who presented him with his first opportunity of top tier rugby.
Smith reminisced on the day Worcester offered him his first professional contract, “it was a hugely special day and a really proud one for me and my family”.
The Warriors academy graduate, who has settled in well at Franklin’s Gardens since his move to the Saints in 2022, had an influential impact on the former Premiership club and helped them win their first major trophy.
“As a club we hadn’t won much silverware for a long time so we had a big emphasis that we wanted to go all the way to the final.
I remember being very nervous because obviously we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to get there and to get the silverware”.
Worcester Warriors defeated London Irish who are now also in administration in the 2022 Premiership Cup Final, a match which is remembered fondly by Warrior’s supporters.
The contest finished 25-25 following Smith’s conversion to force extra time with the Warriors achieving their first and last silverware as a top-flight club due to scoring the most tries in the game.
FIN SMITH: full interview below.
