England's Six Nations plans have been dealt a potential blow with fly-half Fin Smith emerging as a major doubt for the tournament's start due to a calf injury.
Injury Blow for Saints and England
The 23-year-old Northampton playmaker was a late withdrawal from his club's Investec Champions Cup defeat to Bordeaux Begles last weekend. The injury will now rule him out of Saints' crucial final pool fixture against the Scarlets this Sunday.
Smith is currently awaiting the results of a scan to determine the full severity of the muscle problem. This uncertainty places his participation in the opening rounds of the upcoming Six Nations championship in serious jeopardy.
Unclear Timeline for Recovery
Northampton's director of rugby, Phil Dowson, provided an update on the situation, indicating a recovery period of at least two weeks but acknowledging the difficulty in predicting a precise return date. "It's probably minimum two weeks, but with a muscle injury it's hard to give a timeline beyond that," Dowson stated. "It's not months and months and he's not going to be back this weekend, so somewhere in between that."
England begin their Six Nations campaign against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday 7 February. Head coach Steve Borthwick is scheduled to name his squad for the tournament next Friday, with the team set to travel to Girona, Spain, for a pre-championship training camp.
Context and Consequences
Smith, who recently extended his contract with Northampton and toured Australia with the British and Irish Lions last summer, lost his starting England number 10 shirt to George Ford in November. He started only against Fiji during the Autumn Nations Series, with Borthwick opting for the veteran Ford in the other three Tests.
For Northampton, Smith's absence comes at a critical juncture. The Saints sit third in Pool 4 ahead of the final round, behind Bordeaux Begles and Bristol Bears, who also meet on Sunday. A victory over the Scarlets could still secure a top-two finish in the pool and a coveted home tie in the round of 16.
All eyes will now be on the scan results to see if England's promising fly-half can recover in time to challenge for a place in Borthwick's plans for the opening fixture of the Six Nations.
