England fret over Fin Smith’s fitness for looming Australia match

Borthwick responds by calling up Charlie Atkinson

Guy Pepper and Benhard van Rensburg also doubts

England are fretting over the fitness of the fly-half Fin Smith in the lead-up to the Nations Championship home opener against Australia next week.

The Northampton player damaged a calf in the second half against Leicester on Saturday and will be unable to join the national squad who have a three-day training camp in Bagshot this week.

Losing Smith so close to the Wallabies fixture would be a significant blow given the 24-year-old started at 10 in all three of England’s Tests in July and was instrumental in Saints’ domestic title triumph last season.

England’s management say they remain hopeful that the fly-half will be back in time to face Australia but, with limited preparation time available, there will inevitably be some disruption to Steve Borthwick’s plans.

Borthwick has responded by calling up Gloucester’s Charlie Atkinson as cover, with Marcus Smith and George Ford the other specialist 10s in the squad. Since deposing Ford after England’s defeat against Ireland in the Six Nations, however, Fin Smith has staked a firm claim and is very much the man in possession of the 10 jersey. Marcus Smith’s last start at 10 for England was against Ireland in Dublin in the opening round of the 2025 Six Nations.

There will be an official update on Smith’s condition on Tuesday with injury doubts hanging over several other players. Bath’s Guy Pepper appeared to be in pain as he limped off against Gloucester last Friday, while Benhard van Rensburg has not featured since sustaining a heavy concussion in Bristol’s second Prem game of the season.

The inside centre Seb Atkinson is also unable to train this week but has not ruled out playing for Gloucester at Northampton this weekend. It leaves Borthwick and the squad’s other specialist centres – Henry Slade, Joe Marchant, Max Ojomoh and Fraser Dingwall – waiting to see what will unfold in the days leading up to the formal squad announcement next Monday.

Marchant, for one, is delighted to be back in the frame for the first time since the 2023 World Cup. He then moved to Paris to play for Stade Français, having previously been told his England career was over, but is now back and eligible again after joining Sale Sharks.

The 30-year-old Marchant, who married Alan Shearer’s daughter Hollie this year, said he would love to feature at the World Cup in Australia next year. “When I was a kid I wanted to play for England and that’s not changed,” he said.