Northampton Saints sign Worcester Warriors flyhalf

Northampton Saints have announced the signing of Fin Smith from Worcester Warriors with the 20-year-old joining the club with immediate effect.

The England u20 star has been linked with a move for Northampton Saints for sometime now and reports suggested that he would join the Saints at the end of the current season.

Following Worcester's relegation from the Premiership, Smith has signed a multi-year deal with the Saints.

In March last year, the talented outside-half became the youngest-ever player to start for Warriors in the Premiership, lining up against Bath at the age of just 18 years and 313 days.

His arrival also comes off the back of the news that Wales international Dan Biggar will depart Saints at the end of the season. 

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 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.

“If you put that sort of skillset together with that attitude, you’ve got a really high-potential player who is really keen to compete – but at the age of just 20 he’s got a lot of learning and growing to do as well.

“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.

“Speaking to the Club’s coaches, the ambition for this group of players is huge, and it’s clear to me that there’s a great environment to develop as a player at Saints.

“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.”