Fin Smith on the lack of ‘animosity’ between England fly-halves and the ‘power and respect’ that he’s yet to earn
Fin Smith on the lack of 'animosity' between England fly-halves and the 'power and respect' that he's yet to earn
Northampton Saints fly-half Fin Smith has opened up about his relationship with fellow playmakers George Ford and Marcus Smith within the England camp.
Smith appeared on the For The Love Of Rugby podcast ahead of the opening round of the 2026 Prem season, revealing that the upcoming World Cup is at the top of his goals this season.
“Every player wants to go to a World Cup, and to wear the 10 jersey at the World Cup is absolutely top of my goals on my list this season,” he told Ben Youngs and Dan Cole.
“That would be special. You can’t get too far ahead of yourself. I’ve just got to keep hopefully playing well. I’ve had a couple of games wearing the shirt. I think, hopefully, my voice holds a little bit more respect, and I can maybe start implementing the ways I like doing things on the team.”
Smith first made his debut in 2024, coming off the bench in a Six Nations victory over Italy. It took him a year to receive his first Test start, but he certainly made it pay with a Player of the Match performance against France, scoring the winning kick. Again, in the next round against Scotland, he scored the winner to collect the Calcutta Cup for England.
His early excellence earned him a call-up to the British and Irish Lions later that year, where he toured Australia – although he failed to be selected in any of the matchday squads.
A Ford between two Smiths
Now, at 24 years old, he’s established himself as England’s first-choice fly-half, despite heavy competition from those around him.
“I’ve got two unbelievable competitors in George [Ford] and Marcus [Smith] that I’m sure are gonna be right on my heels if I’m not at my best,” he said.
“Having Fordy is honestly invaluable for that dynamic because he’d probably be the most experienced and has achieved more than anyone in the England squad at the minute.”
Although they’re competing for the same position, it’s clear Fin has plenty of respect for his more experienced colleague.
“The second that I was lucky enough to be picked ahead of him for one of the games, he was as good an example as you could have possibly set to the rest of the squad, not just myself and Marcus.
“He was straight over congratulating us; he was like, ‘Look, I’m gonna have a look at the scrum clips, bring you some feedback. This is what I think we should do this week. Train better than anyone that week.’
“When someone who’s achieved that much and he is is acting like that, then how could I possibly have an ego when I wasn’t picked?
“When he set that precedent for us, that was just the way we acted, and everyone’s followed that, and it’s made it really easy for us to just all chip in and try and get the best out of the team rather than almost be after each other.
“It’s not to say we don’t train hard; like we go for each other in training, and we all want to win as much as the next guy. But there’s no animosity behind it.”
“I focus on the areas that I feel comfortable in”
Ford has earned his right to be a dominant voice within camp. With over 100 caps in a 12-year international career, the Oldham-born lad has one of the most experienced and trusted minds in the game.
For Fin Smith, however, he feels that his knowledge and experience are yet to be earned.
Admitting that his standing within the England squad is “probably not quite the same” as at Saints, he said: “At Northampton, I probably would add in more places. I’d try and speak about the attack, but then try and speak about mindset and ways to win games at different points.
“But I probably haven’t been through enough in an England shirt to cover all those bases. I try and speak a lot about the attack and tactical side of things, but actually, if I sit there having played 20 games and started maybe 10 of them, trying to tell Gengey and Maro and Jamie what winning Test rugby looks like. I probably wouldn’t have the power and respect that my voice needs to have to deliver those messages.
“I focus on the areas that I feel comfortable in, which would be more the tactical side of things, and then let them deliver the more experienced leadership kind of side of things.”
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