Fin Smith, the young and talented fly-half of Northampton Saints, has been dealt a significant blow as his calf injury puts him in doubt for England's Six Nations opener against Wales on 7 February. The 23-year-old withdrew from the matchday squad to face Bordeaux-Begles on Sunday and is now awaiting the results of a scan.
According to Phil Dowson, Northampton director of rugby, Smith could be out for as long as two weeks, although he has warned that muscle injuries are notoriously unpredictable. This setback comes at a critical time, with England set to take on Wales in three and a half weeks, followed by matches against Scotland and Ireland.
Smith had been enjoying an impressive form for both Saints and England, winning selection for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia over the summer. However, he has struggled to displace Finn Russell for a Test spot, and his recent performances have been underwhelming.
This latest injury blow will be a significant concern for Steve Borthwick's team, who had high hopes for Smith's development. Ford, on the other hand, had impressed in England's Tests against Argentina and the United States, starting at 10 in victories over Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina.
For Smith, this setback will be particularly difficult to swallow, given his disappointment at being left out of the Lions tour party last summer. He expressed his frustration about not getting a chance to play for England, but his efforts have not gone unnoticed. Despite this injury, he has quickly adapted to life with Saints and has filled in for Smith against Bordeaux-Begles.
As the Six Nations approaches, Smith will be anxiously waiting for the scan results and hoping that his calf injury is not as serious as initially feared.
According to Phil Dowson, Northampton director of rugby, Smith could be out for as long as two weeks, although he has warned that muscle injuries are notoriously unpredictable. This setback comes at a critical time, with England set to take on Wales in three and a half weeks, followed by matches against Scotland and Ireland.
Smith had been enjoying an impressive form for both Saints and England, winning selection for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia over the summer. However, he has struggled to displace Finn Russell for a Test spot, and his recent performances have been underwhelming.
This latest injury blow will be a significant concern for Steve Borthwick's team, who had high hopes for Smith's development. Ford, on the other hand, had impressed in England's Tests against Argentina and the United States, starting at 10 in victories over Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina.
For Smith, this setback will be particularly difficult to swallow, given his disappointment at being left out of the Lions tour party last summer. He expressed his frustration about not getting a chance to play for England, but his efforts have not gone unnoticed. Despite this injury, he has quickly adapted to life with Saints and has filled in for Smith against Bordeaux-Begles.
As the Six Nations approaches, Smith will be anxiously waiting for the scan results and hoping that his calf injury is not as serious as initially feared.
... poor Finny 
... two weeks is a long time, but I'm sure he'll be back to his fly-half form in no time 
! on the bright side, it's giving Ford more game time and he's been doing great 
. and let's not forget, this is just another bump in the road for Finny... he's already made a comeback from being left out of the Lions tour party 
, so I'm sure he'll bounce back from this too 
... He was really coming into form for England and it'd be a shame to lose him now. The squad depth seems a bit thin with Finn Russell taking up a lot of the fly-half spots 
. It's gonna be tough for Borthwick and the team, especially with their upcoming games against Scotland and Ireland 
. Fingers crossed Fin gets cleared up quickly and is back on the pitch soon 
. Can't we get more concrete info from the scan results? And what's with Smith's form being underwhelming lately? Is he getting enough game time at Saints to keep him sharp for England? 
Also, how does this impact the team dynamic? Are they gonna stick with Ford or try to salvage some sort of solution with an injured Smith?
this guy was lookin all good, and then out of nowhere calf injury 
️ really hope it's not 2 weeks tho, can't afford that kinda downtime 
still got faith in smith though, he's shown some sick skills on the pitch 
now's the time to step up, ford's got this 
. I mean, Ford has been stepping up his game, so it's not like they're completely caught out... but still, this is a tough pill to swallow 
!
I mean, this guy's been looking so promising but now he's out with a calf injury 
. It's just so frustrating because you can tell he's got the skills and everything. But two weeks is a long time, especially with the Six Nations coming up 
. I know Fin had some great games for Saints last season but for England it just seems like they're always playing it safe with Finn Russell 
. He was looking like he was finally hitting his stride after that amazing summer with the Lions 
. Poor guy's been through so much already, getting dropped from the tour party last year and now this injury... 
that's like, right in the middle of the six nations 
. Hopefully it's just a minor tweak and not two weeks out... fingers crossed for Finny! 
... i feel bad 4 him, he's been lookin at this position 4 ages now & seems like he's finally gettin there... an injury at dis time is just whack 
but he's still got some good performances under his belt and saints is doin well! 
fingers crossed for fin 
... I mean, why now? He's been doing fine, no major issues before. And then suddenly, it's a "significant blow" 
️. The team's prospects just got a bit tougher with this injury