Leicester Tigers teammates Joe Heyes and Nicky Smith could find themselves in direct opposition when England welcome Wales to Twickenham for their opening Six Nations fixture on 7 February. The tighthead prop for England has expressed his relish at the prospect of testing himself against the Welsh loosehead, despite their close friendship at club level.
Club Combination Turns International Rivalry
Just days before international duty calls, Heyes and Smith combined powerfully to dismantle the Harlequins scrum during Leicester's convincing 34-7 Gallagher Premiership victory. Their effective partnership at Welford Road will be temporarily set aside as they prepare to represent their respective nations in one of rugby's oldest rivalries.
"We just said goodbye in the changing rooms," Heyes revealed after the Harlequins match. "That was a bit awkward. I didn't know whether to hug or strangle him. We know where we're going but we'll keep it professional and try not to have any domestic conflict."
Respect Born from Past Experience
Heyes holds Smith in particularly high regard, considering him the finest scrummaging loosehead in the Premiership. This respect stems from a challenging personal experience against the prop during a Champions Cup fixture in December 2022, when Heyes was playing for Leicester against Smith's former club, the Ospreys.
"I had a bad experience against Nicky three or four years ago and I was yellow-carded," Heyes admitted. "I was like, 'I've got him here' but he would just pop his way back out of it. He has an unbelievable ability to go forward."
The England forward was quick to highlight Smith's all-round abilities beyond the scrum: "Around the field as well, people don't see it. He'll chop everything, he'll get over the ball. He's a quality player. I think every prop has a bad day, and I've had a couple, but that was probably one of my bad days."
International Context and Personal Ambition
For Smith, the Six Nations represents an opportunity to help Wales secure their first tournament victory since 2023 before his impending move from Leicester to Sale Sharks at season's end. The experienced loosehead will be crucial to Welsh hopes at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
Meanwhile, Heyes finds himself in a position of increased importance within Steve Borthwick's England squad following injuries to fellow tightheads Will Stuart and Asher Opoku-Fordjour. Despite strong competition from experienced campaigner Trevor Davison and promising youngster Vilikesa Sela, Heyes appears likely to retain the starting berth he secured during his breakthrough 2025 season.
Renewed Enthusiasm for International Rugby
The Leicester prop expressed genuine excitement about his current international prospects, contrasting sharply with his previous experiences: "I'm really excited to get stuck back in. Before it probably wasn't as exciting because I never thought I'd be involved and it felt like a bit of a rinse and repeat cycle."
Heyes also praised the current strength of English rugby, noting: "It's not only the fact I'm playing now but it's also the group we've got. If you look around at all positions in England at the moment, the strength and depth is actually incredible, isn't it? Maybe like 10 years ago, you would never have had that."
As both players prepare to put club camaraderie aside for national duty, their impending scrum duel promises to be one of the compelling subplots of England's Six Nations opener against Wales. The professional respect between the Leicester teammates will be tested in the heat of international competition, adding an intriguing layer to an already passionate rivalry.
