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Fin Smith sets England autumn ultimatum to hit form

Fin Smith believes England must conduct serious soul-searching if their upcoming November campaign fails to deliver results. The 24-year-old playmaker has secured the starting fly-half role over George Ford and Marcus Smith after starting five straight international fixtures, taking greater ownership of the tactical direction under Steve Borthwick.

England's recent form in 2026 has yielded just three victories across eight encounters, suffering a maiden loss against Italy alongside a 42-21 home defeat to Ireland, before a mid-year tour featuring a 45-21 loss to South Africa, a 73-8 rout of Fiji, and a tight 31-24 victory over Argentina.

England now prepare for consecutive fixtures against Australia, Japan, and New Zealand, followed by a Nations Championship playoff contest. While recalling England's 33-19 triumph over the All Blacks last November, Smith views the upcoming rematch at Allianz Stadium as an essential benchmark.

At club level, Smith's Northampton Saints provided a leading contingent of six players to the national squad after claiming two league crowns and reaching the 2025 European decider, with director of rugby Phil Dowson confirming that both he and head coach Sam Vesty harbor aspirations to eventually step into international coaching.