Northampton Saints have confirmed that Worcester's homegrown fly-half Fin Smith has signed for the club on a new multi-year deal.

The talented outside-half became the youngest-ever player to start for Warriors in the Gallagher Premiership in March 2021, when he lined up against Bath at the age of just 18 years and 313 days.

He made 31 senior appearances for Worcester, and his form at Sixways earned him a selection for England Under-20s for the 2021 Six Nations in Cardiff.

Smith was influential in the Red Rose’s Grand Slam-winning campaign, scoring 31 points in five matches including a try against Scotland.

"I’m really excited to sign on with Northampton Saints – a Club with a long history of success, and a very talented coaching group who encourage the squad to express themselves and play a fantastic brand of rugby," said Smith.

"I’ve been lucky enough to play a couple of matches at Franklin’s Gardens already, and the atmosphere around the ground is always electric – and the pitch is flawless. I can’t wait to compete for the opportunity to run out there week in, week out.

"The recent uncertainly has obviously been incredibly difficult for everyone at Worcester, and I will miss the players, coaches and supporters there – 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’m looking forward to hopefully hitting the ground running in Northampton."

There were rumours the deal was done during the summer but now after all players at Worcester had their contracts terminated last Wednesday, Saints were able to bring him in with immediate effect.

Northampton’s Director of Rugby, Phil Dowson, admits he has had his sights on Smith for some time.

"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,” said Dowson.

"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 has nothing but good things to say about him. He seems to have a really good variation on his kicking game as well, and when you meet him in person you can see how mature, driven and ambitious he is.