Fin Smith (Image: Getty)
Fin Smith revealed a heart-to-heart with current Welsh stand-in coach Matt Sherratt accelerated his rise from academy player to Test starter. Sherratt ran the backs at Worcester when Smith was a teenager and delivered a few home truths to the 22-year-old who is now England’s first choice fly-half.
Sherratt moved to Cardiff in 2023 and was catapulted into the Wales hot seat two games into this year’s Six Nations when Warren Gatland quit last month. But he left a lasting impression on Smith when he departed Sixways telling the youngster he had to emulate the work ethic of Jonny Wilkinson and Owen Farrell instead of coasting through his career.
Now at Northampton, Smith explained: “He sat me down for a really honest conversation that I won’t forget when I was mid-way through my first year as an 18-year-old.
“He was saying Jonny, Faz and George Ford all played week in, week out and if I wanted to get to that level then I really need to push and not wait to follow the same trajectory that the other boys in the academy were on. As a coach it’s probably not the easiest thing to do but I’m really grateful to him.
“It’s easy to turn up, follow the schedule like everyone else does and do weights then meetings.
“He said, if you want to take that step you’ve got to be doing things slightly differently to everyone else. He encouraged me to get in and kick on my days off, use my free time to look at video, be practising my skills, my passing.
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“It’s easy to go in as a young lad turn up and follow the same path. But you really want to jump out ahead of the crowd you’ve got to be putting extra work in, so he gave me a bit of a slap and told me to crack on. He really looked out for me and gave me a shot.”
Sherratt, who does not want the Welsh job permanently, now stands between Smith’s England, a fourth win in the Six Nations and a possible shot at the title.
The pair are still in touch but their friendship will be shelved in Cardiff on Saturday when England are aiming to finish the tournament with a flourish.
Wales are on a dismal run of 16 straight defeats but Gloucester-born Sherratt will get the freedom of the principality if he engineers a win over the English.
Worryingly for Steve Borthwick’s side Wales have improved since Sherratt came in, running Ireland close, losing 27-18, and finishing strongly against Scotland in Saturday’s 35-29 reverse.
Smith added: “I texted him saying all the best with the Wales stuff and he said ‘eff off, I’ll see you in a few weeks’. It is nice to know he’s not changed since he got the big job.
“He’s got them on the same page. It looks like they know exactly what they’re doing, whether that’s in phase shape or off lineouts.
“He’s got them to fight for each other again. That’s the sign of a happy camp, boys running around for each other, scrambling, defending their goal-line, going to 80 even if the scoreline is against them. He’s clearly put some pride back into the shirt and he’s got an unbelievable attacking brain. The way they’re moving the ball, he’s stamped his name all over that.”