Fin Smith joins Northampton Saints with immediate effect

Northampton Saints have secured the signature of Fin Smith on a multi-year deal, with the highly-rated young fly-half joining the men in Black, Green and Gold with immediate effect.

Smith, 20, arrives at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens from Worcester Warriors where he has progressed through the Academy set-up.

The talented outside-half became the youngest-ever player to start for Warriors in the Gallagher Premiership in March 2021, when he lined up against Bath at the age of just 18 years and 313 days.

He made 31 senior appearances for Worcester, and his form at Sixways earned him a selection for England Under-20s for the 2021 Six Nations in Cardiff. Smith was influential in the Red Rose’s Grand Slam-winning campaign, scoring 31 points in five matches including a try against Scotland.

Smith was named again in England Under-20s EPS for 2022, but did not feature during the Six Nations as he instead held down the No.10 jersey for Warriors in the Gallagher Premiership, during a campaign which also saw him lift the Premiership Rugby Cup with Worcester.

“Fin is definitely a player who has been on our radar for a long time, and the whole coaching group are big admirers of his,” said Northampton’s Director of Rugby, Phil Dowson.

“He is someone that always takes the ball to the line, makes good decisions from an attacking point of view, has a bit of flair about him with an offloading game, and is incredibly brave and tough in defence.

“Everyone from within the Worcester and England Under-20s environments has nothing but good things to say about him. He seems to have a really good variation on his kicking game as well, and when you meet him in person you can see how mature, driven and ambitious he is.

“We always talk about wanting competition within the squad, and I am really excited to see Fin, James Grayson, and Dan Biggar push each other and make each other better as they compete for the No.10 jersey at Saints.”

Smith, grandson of former Scotland and British & Irish Lions loosehead prop Tom Elliot, began playing club rugby at Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire before joining Warwick School.

After playing every match for Warriors in the Premiership Rugby Under-18s Academy League in 2019/20, he signed on full-time with Worcester’s Academy in the summer of 2020.

While he went on to make his senior debut midway through his first season, Smith also enjoyed a spell with Ampthill in the RFU Championship on a dual registration, before locking down the No.10 jersey back with Warriors during the 2021/22 campaign.

He has ten caps for England Under-20s to his name so far, and Smith is now relishing the prospect of running out in Black, Green and Gold at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens next season.

He said: “I’m really excited to sign on with Northampton Saints – a Club with a long history of success, and a very talented coaching group who encourage the squad to express themselves and play a fantastic brand of rugby.

“I’ve been lucky enough to play a couple of matches at Franklin’s Gardens already, and the atmosphere around the ground is always electric – and the pitch is flawless. I can’t wait to compete for the opportunity to run out there week in, week out.

“The recent uncertainly has obviously been incredibly difficult for everyone at Worcester, and I will miss the players, coaches and supporters there – the last couple of months have shown what a special club it is.

“Having grown up at Sixways, Warriors will always have a special place in my heart, but I know this is the right move for me at this stage of my career, and I’m looking forward to hopefully hitting the ground running in Northampton.”