Fin Smith earned his first England cap as a substitute against Italy during the 2024 Six Nations.
Northampton Saints fly-half Fin Smith is currently sidelined with a calf strain, casting doubt on his availability for England’s Six Nations opener against Wales on February 7th.
The 23-year-old withdrew from Northampton’s lineup ahead of their match against Bordeaux-Begles on Sunday and is awaiting the results of a scan to determine the severity of the injury.
“We are awaiting the scan results to ascertain the full extent of the injury,” stated Northampton’s Director of Rugby, Phil Dowson.
“The initial estimate suggests a minimum of two weeks on the sidelines. However, with muscle injuries, providing a definitive timeline beyond that is challenging.”
“It is not expected to be a matter of months, and he will not be available this weekend, so the recovery period falls somewhere in between.”
England is scheduled to face Wales in three and a half weeks, with the Six Nations squad announcement anticipated next week.
Following the opening fixture, England will travel to Scotland on February 14th and subsequently host Ireland at Twickenham on February 21st before the Six Nations’ rest week.
Smith made a substitute appearance in the opening-round defeat to Ireland in the previous year’s competition and subsequently earned a promotion to the starting XV for the remaining four matches of England’s campaign.
Under Steve Borthwick’s leadership, England achieved a second-place finish in what was widely regarded as an encouraging campaign. Smith subsequently earned selection for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia over the summer.
However, despite Smith’s limited impact during the Lions tour, where he struggled to challenge Finn Russell for a Test spot, George Ford delivered impressive performances in England’s Tests against Argentina and the United States.
Ford was favored during the autumn internationals, starting at fly-half in victories over Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina. Smith, lacking Marcus Smith’s versatility, was limited to a win over Fiji and sporadic appearances in the matchday 23.
“It is undoubtedly difficult to accept,” Smith acknowledged on BBC Radio Northampton’s Saints Show in December.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of wearing the England number 10 jersey, and having that opportunity taken away is undeniably painful.”
Anthony Belleau, the Frenchman acquired from Clermont Auvergne during the summer, filled in for Smith in the defeat against Bordeaux-Begles and has seamlessly integrated into the Saints setup.
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