Marcus Smith and Fin Smith – two of England’s fly-half options – will square off at Twickenham when Harlequins and Northampton Saints go at it with plenty at stake
Danny Care accepts that Harlequins’ clash with Northampton Saints at Twickenham will have an added spice once Fin Smith and Marcus Smith lock horns.
The two fly-halves have been leading lights for their respective clubs. Marcus Smith has continued to be the X-factor that Quins thrive off whilst Fin Smith has led Northampton to the summit of the Premiership, helping them mastermind a sensational winning run.
Both men were included in Steve Borthwick’s recent England squad with the head coach handing both men opportunities to impress in the Six Nations. In the eyes of many, Marcus Smith would be ahead of his namesake in the pecking order with a summer tour to Japan and New Zealand quickly approaching.
Care won the bulk of his 100 caps alongside Ben Youngs. The two scrum-halves dovetailed sensationally with England, but each wanted to be the man in the starting XV. He confessed domestic clashes against the Leicester Tigers man were always on his radar as the two Smiths attempt to steer their sides to victory, but insists the game comes before any personal battle.
He said: “You know every game is being watched by England coaches, that’s why I feel quite free now, but you’d be lying if you said those lads aren’t thinking about playing well. Firstly they want to do it for their club but they also have an exciting tour this summer on the horizon and I’m sure both those guys will be on the plane.
“But yes I used to look at games against Leicester, playing Ben Youngs, you want to do well in that game to put you in the best shop window, but there’s a lot of rugby to be played between now and then.”
Marcus Smith and Fin Smith bring different things to the party, but both dominate their sides, especially in attack. The Quins 10 is incredibly easy on the eye and is seeking another headline moment at Twickenham whilst Northampton’s playmaker will be looking to continue the form he’s shown all year.
Care added: “Fin and Marcus, you’ve got to wonderfully gifted players, two lads who have really grabbed hold of their teams, which you have to be as a 10. To be special in this league and to win stuff you’ve got to really be a leader and set the standards and I see Fin doing a lot of that this year, Marcus has been doing that with us for years. They’re different – similar with the Ford, Farrell, Smith debate – they can all be world-class players.”
The Quins scrum-half has now called time on his England career with Northampton’s Alex Mitchell the current incumbent as the country’s scrum-half. Care’s remit will be aiming to stop the influence of the man he admits he’s “proud” of having seen his rise first-hand.
“Mitch is a brilliant rugby player, he’s really taken his opportunities over the past year to make that England 9 shirt his own,” he said. “In a way you kind of feel like an older brother, I feel proud of him. To have bounced back from missing the England training squad, to then come in and steam past us all. We’re very aware of the threat he poses, he’s the heartbeat of that team. We’ll have to defend well to stop him and Fin.”
