I’m like a kid in a candy shop
FIN SMITH is having the season of his life – Mail Sport columnist Dan Biggar caught up with his fellow fly-half to talk England and chasing history with Northampton
IN October 2021, I was part of a Northampton side which beat Worcester 66- 10 in a Premiership clash at Franklin’s Gardens. Fin Smith was my opposite number.
Despite the one-sided final score and the Warriors’ struggles at the time, I could see Fin, then aged 19, had a lot of potential and everything he needed to make it at the highest level.
It had been a tough evening for Worcester so at the final whistle, I went over to Fin and we had a bit of a chat. My reason for doing so was to make sure the way the match went didn’t damage him moving forward. The television cameras picked up our conversation and it went a bit viral.
Both Fin and I have been asked a lot about that moment since then, especially after he replaced me as Northampton fly-half. It’s been great for me to see his development into the leader of the Saints team and an England international this season, despite still being just 21.
And with my former side in the hunt for a Premiership and European double, it seemed a good moment for us to catch up ahead of Northampton’s Champions Cup quarter-final clash with South African side Bulls tonight. There was only one place to start.
‘I’ve been reminded about that conversation more than you have! Everyone seems to think you were being some sort of secret agent trying to bring me to Saints,’ Fin told me, looking back on that chat in 2021.
‘It was you putting your arm around me and telling me to keep my chin up. It was pretty cool. I was only just starting out and to have you come over and pick me up a bit was awesome for me because it’s a pretty dark place when you get pumped by that sort of score. It was a casual chat but greatly appreciated from my point of view.
‘You were very loosely looking out for me. But as a 19-year-old lad, it went a long way and when I started out at Saints, having you as a contact to message if I needed anything was class.
‘ Obviously we have had a shared experience of playing No 10 for Northampton and have worked with the same coaches. It’s been really helpful for me.’
I definitely wasn’t working as a secret agent for Northampton in 2021 — I certainly haven’t had a cut of the deal that brought Fin to Saints. The cheque must be in the post!
At that time, I didn’t think Fin would replace me at Saints. But in November 2022, I moved to Toulon less than a month after Fin arrived at the club following the sad demise of Worcester.
Earlier that year, we had another chat after we’d again been on opposite sides in a match at Sixways and Fin had got knocked out. He’s a really talented player and if I can help him in any way, then I will. Not that Fin needs much assistance at the moment. He’s having a brilliant campaign with Northampton and won his first England caps during the Six Nations.
‘I was properly out of it but I remember you coming to talk to me in the changing rooms when I was still a bit dazed,’ Fin said. ‘When I signed for Northampton I probably thought I was a lot better than I was and I got a bit of a shock in the first few weeks. There was so much I hadn’t opened my eyes to, particularly around game management. It’s been an amazing journey. In terms of joining when I did, you had just left for Toulon and James Grayson had picked up a knock. I was straight in.
‘My first few weeks at the club were pretty big. All the stress and the whirlwind that was losing my job at Worcester were actually really helpful because I didn’t have time to think too much about what was going on in front of me. It’s been carnage but I’ve loved it.’
I spent four and a half brilliant years with Northampton. It’s an amazing club full of great people and I’m delighted to see them doing so well this term. I didn’t win a major trophy in my time there but Fin and his team-mates have that chance.
If they were playing a fullstrength Bulls in South Africa tonight in the Champions Cup, Saints would be underdogs.
But with the game being in Northampton, and the Bulls naming what is essentially a B team missing most of their South African internationals, it would be a shock if Saints were
‘Our attack looks loose but it IS calculated. There’s method in the madness!’
to fail to make the semis. ‘It’s an amazing club and town and the fans are unbelievable. It’s the tightest group of boys I’ve come across. There are genuinely nice people here and that makes the club what it is,’ Fin said. ‘It’s a load of good people wanting to get better every day — the coaches and all the staff are like that. There are no egos.
‘In terms of what it would mean for us to win a trophy, we’ve been pretty sick of being the team that was nearly there. To get over that line would be massive, especially for guys like Courtney Lawes and Lewis Ludlam who are leaving but have given so much to the town. The best-case scenario would be to end with a couple of trophies.’
I’ve been really impressed by Fin this season. The greatest compliment I can give him is
that he doesn’t look like a 21- year- old No 10. He is controlling games like an experienced figure.
His passing at the line is very good and he is a strong defender who tackles well. Fin earned his first two England caps earlier this year but I love how he isn’t content with just that.
To hear him say he now wants to get ahead of George Ford and Marcus Smith as England’s starting No 10 shows great ambition. You need that to succeed at the highest level.
‘We (Northampton) are a great attacking team. I don’t know if you found this but because we’re such a good running team as the 10, you’re almost like a kid in a candy shop,’ Fin added. ‘You want to run from anywhere because there are so many good players. The hard thing for me in my first few months was trying not to do that too much.
‘As boring as it sounds, what’s been really good for us this season has been our defence and ability to exit well. Although our attack looks pretty free- flowing and loose, it is all pretty calculated. There’s method in the madness!’
Both Fin and I have the honour of having won the ‘Blakiston Challenge’ — the brutal pre- season fitness test at Northampton which is a big part of the club’s history. It is nothing to do with your rugby ability but is all about endeavour and showing a willingness to work hard. You have to leave any ego you have at the
door. Annoyingly, Fin beat my time!
‘I’m loving it here,’ Fin said. ‘I’m living five or 10 minutes away from some of my best mates and when we turn up for work, we have a good laugh. For the team to be doing well and for me to feel like I’m progressing very well is amazing. It’s definitely been the best season in my career so far.’
I worked under Saints coaches Phil Dowson and Sam Vesty. They are both great blokes and outstanding at their roles. Perhaps I’m a little biased given I used to play for them but I really hope Northampton end the season with a trophy. They are definitely capable of it.
George Hendy’s first try in their last-16 win over Munster showed just how dangerous Saints can be. They attacked from their own 22 with Fin leading the charge and cut Munster to ribbons to go almost the length of the field. That sort of attacking game married with an improved defence is a dangerous mix. Saints are five points clear at the top of the Premiership.
‘We never play South African teams and have never played the Bulls,’ Fin said. ‘Our focus has been on what we can do. I’ve seen some of
the news of their travel on social media. It sounds like carnage! The more help we get the better, to be honest!
‘We’re taking it game by game. When I came back from the England camp, I felt maybe we focused too much on the fact we have a good opportunity to win some trophies. I didn’t think that was a good thing and in our first game after the break we struggled against Bristol.
‘Being around the England environment was the first time I’d really experienced how different the club and Test games are. It was great to win my first few caps.
‘It was a great experience and I’ll only be better for it. The general quality of my kicking game is something that on reflection could have been better.
‘ If you look at guys like George, Owen Farrell and yourself, they are all genuinely world- class kickers and I still think there’s a lot of growth in me.’