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Fly-half prospect Fin Smith has become the latest player to leave Worcester after agreeing terms with Northampton.
Saints said that Smith’s “multi-year deal” would see him join them with immediate effect.
He became Worcester’s youngest Premiership player when he featured against Bath as an 18-year-old in March 2021.
Worcester were suspended from the Premiership and will be relegated at the end of this season following Warriors’ partial liquidation last week, with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) pursuing unpaid tax in the region of £6million.
It has inevitably sparked a player exodus from Sixways, with wing Duhan van der Merwe returning to Edinburgh, lock Joe Batley rejoining Bristol and four players – Ollie Lawrence, Ted Hill, Fergus Lee-Warner and Valeriy Morozov – moving on loan to Bath.
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Prop Rory Sutherland is expected to tie up a deal with Ulster, and confirmation of 20-year-old Smith’s move to the east Midlands comes after Saints’ recent announcement that their Wales and British and Irish Lions fly-half Dan Biggar will leave them at the end of this term.
Northampton rugby director Phil Dowson said: “Fin is definitely a player who has been on our radar for a long time, and the whole coaching group are big admirers of his.
“He is someone that always takes the ball to the line, makes good decisions from an attacking point of view, has a bit of flair about him with an offloading game and is incredibly brave and tough in defence.
“Everyone from within the Worcester and England Under-20s environments have nothing but good things to say about him.
“If you put that sort of skill-set together with that attitude, you have got a really high-potential player who is really keen to compete, but at the age of just 20 he has got a lot of learning and growing to do as well.”
Having grown up at Sixways, Warriors will always have a special place in my heart, but I know this is the right move for me at this stage of my career
Smith has made 10 England appearances at under-20 level, and he said: “The recent uncertainty has obviously been incredibly difficult for everyone at Worcester, and I will miss the players, coaches and supporters there.
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“The last couple of months have shown what a special club it is.
“Having grown up at Sixways, Warriors will always have a special place in my heart, but I know this is the right move for me at this stage of my career, and I am looking forward to hopefully hitting the ground running in Northampton.”
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