Munster match was the day Fin Smith came of age

Having recovered from the cold that ruled him out of last week’s helter-skelter 45-35 defeat at Stade Francais, Fin Smith is back in the Northampton box seat to remind Munster of his star qualities.

Smith, who will compete for the England No.10 jersey in the Six Nations, masterminded last season’s epic 26-23 pool victory over the men in red at Thomond Parkin a display of calm assuredness that belied his relatively tender age and was also on the winning side when the teams met again in the Round of 16.

Still only 22, the six-times capped Smith pulled the strings as Saints navigated their way to a victory in the wind and the rain that seemed highly unlikely when Curtis Langdon was sent off in the first half.

The win served as a springboard for Saints to go on and reach the Champions Cup semi-final and lift the Premiership title for the first time in 10 years, whilst on an individual level, it was a game where Smith truly came of age.

“He’s done stuff like that in training and we know he has got performances in him like that all the time, so I think it might have been (a coming-of-age performance),” said Smith’s team-mate for club and country, winger Tommy Freeman.

“There are games where you get put under a lot of pressure and those big moments, those European games, are pretty much the next level from Test match rugby I’d say, so I think that was a big marker for Fin to put his hand up and show what he is all about and, my god, did he do it in those conditions.”

Smith renews his half-back partnership with Alex Mitchell, who’s another big admirer of the former Worcester player, for the visit of Munster this Saturday.

“He’s only 21 or 22 but as a nine, you always want a fly-half that bosses you around and constantly talks. That is what he does, he leads the team really well, he’s got really good game management and he’s always talking through things. So it’s fantastic to have. Off the field, he’s a really good lad so I really get along with him. He makes my job even easier.”

Mitchell is directly up against Conor Murray, who he could face again in a couple of weeks in the opening round of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations. Murray’s Ireland host England, for whom Mitchell looks set to start at nine, having recovered from the neck injury that ruled him out in the Autumn.

“He’s quality, I’ve played against him a few times now and he’s been at the top of the game for 10-plus years so to have an opportunity to play against players like that and go toe-to-toe with them is always huge,” said Mitchell.

“I love these games, the bigger games, and I am hugely excited for it.”

Freeman added: “We have had a few ding-dongs with them, there’s not bad blood but there’s a bit of a rivalry now that we’re growing, so we know tensions will be high and, yeah, they don’t go away ever, so we’ll have to keep on our game for 80 minutes and make sure we keep on top of that this week.”