England fly-half Fin Smith says his “ears sort of pricked up” when he heard that Owen Farrell was not going to play in the Six Nations.
Smith, 21, was one of three number 10s chosen by head coach Steve Borthwick, alongside George Ford and Marcus Smith.
Farrell, 32, ruled himself out of this year’s championship to prioritise his and his family’s mental wellbeing.
Smith told BBC Sport that he is “delighted” to be selected after impressing for Northampton Saints.
“I think when the news came out that Owen wasn’t going to be involved, my ears sort of pricked up. I thought hang on, there could be a good opportunity here,” he said.
Smith, who joined Saints in 2022 when Worcester Warriors collapsed, featured in last year’s Six Nations squad but was not included in a matchday 23.
England open their Six Nations campaign against Italy at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on 3 February.
“I haven’t spoken to Owen,” Smith continued. “Obviously in previous camps we’ve trained together a lot and he’s helped me with things, but not recently.
“Steve [Borthwick] wants for me to just keep doing what I’m doing, he says he’s been impressed and I’ve got better at a lot of the things he wanted me to work on.”
Northampton’s form, which has taken them to the top of the Premiership, means seven players have been called up, including Smith’s best friend Tommy Freeman.
“I think just the way we’ve been playing, the way we’ve been attacking, it’s a really good blueprint and hopefully something England may like to bring in, the style of game we play at Saints,” Smith said.
