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Scotland are planning a cross-border raid for uncapped fly-half Fin Smith, one in all English rugby’s brightest prospects, for his or her summer season tour to South America.
Smith performed a starring function in England Below-20 Grand Slam-winning crew final season and the Worcester Warrior was named-checked by England head coach Eddie Jones final yr as a band of younger fly-halves who had the chance to “step as much as the plate”. Nonetheless, Jones has opted to pick out Wasps’ Charlie Atkinson moderately than Smith in his newest coaching squad for the Barbarians sport, leaving Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend free to make his transfer.
Townsend will on Wednesday title an prolonged coaching squad for his or her summer season tour to South America which features a three-Take a look at collection in opposition to Argentina and an ‘A’ crew fixture in opposition to Chile. Telegraph Sport understands Scotland are hoping to name up quite a few former England age-grade gamers together with the Sale Sharks pair of Tom Roebuck and Arron Reed, who scored his seventh strive of a breakthrough Premiership marketing campaign for Sale on Saturday in opposition to Bristol. Charlie Chapman, the Gloucester scrum-half, is one other participant on Townsend’s radar.
Smith, a long-term goal for Townsend, would signify a prize seize from the clutches of the Auld Enemy. Telegraph Sport additionally understands Smith, who has had minimal contact from the England hierarchy, remains to be “50-50” on whether or not to just accept the call-up. Senior figures on the Rugby Soccer Union are assured he’ll be a part of up with England U20 this week.
Smith may comply with in footsteps of Cameron Redpath and Sam Skinner
Smith was born and raised in Warwick however has robust Scottish connections. His grandfather, Tom Elliot, gained 14 caps for Scotland between 1955 and 1958 and toured South Africa with the British and Irish Lions in 1955. Final season, Smith turned the second youngest participant to make their Premiership debut for Worcester as an 18-year-old.
In January, upon taking the reins of Worcester’s rugby programme, Steve Diamond declared that Smith was a superior participant to Orlando Bailey, the previous England Below-20 team-mate of Smith who has been a mainstay of senior squads this season and was named within the 35-man group on Monday.
“How Eddie Jones hasn’t checked out Fin Smith is past me,” Diamond stated. “What’s the child referred to as with the flowery title from Bathtub? He has a shout [for England]. Fin Smith is method in entrance of him.”
Ought to Smith settle for Townsend’s invitation then he would turn out to be the most recent England age-grade participant to change allegiances following centre Cameron Redpath and free ahead Sam Skinner. Wales, in the meantime, have raided England’s expertise pool for Nick Tompkins and others.
Whereas it’s inevitable that England with their far higher taking part in base will lose gamers to different nations, RFU director of efficiency rugby Conor O’Shea final yr professed to be unconcerned by the obvious expertise drain.
“No, it’s a truth of life,” O’Shea stated. “In the event you did not, different nations would not be doing their jobs…so we do our job correctly, we get our pathway going, we are going to nonetheless lose gamers, sure, however extra folks can have an attachment collectively – they develop up in little pockets. Jack Nowell, Henry Slade, Luke Cowan-Dickie, the Vunipolas, George Ford – they develop up in pockets and get bonds and experiences and that’s fairly troublesome to separate aside. And that’s what we have now to do.”
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