In the 10 years he spent in the Franklin’s Gardens dressing rooms, George Furbank sang the line plenty of times.
“Big city lights don’t bother me,” goes Northampton’s victory song,, external a version of local anthem The Fields Are Green. “Northampton Saints I’d rather be.”
Had Northampton offered him a longer contract at the end of last season, Furbank may still have been with the champions.
They didn’t though, and Harlequins did. And suddenly those big city lights beckoned.
“Yeah, the big city lights are a change, but a change I’m enjoying,” says Furbank.
“There is just stuff on your doorstep which is unreal – great food spots, good coffee spots. I feel like within 10 minutes I can walk to get anything I need.”
The 30-year-old, who grew up in Cambridgeshire, has opted to live nearer to central London, rather than right by Quins’ Guildford training base.
After a decade up the line in Northampton, Furbank is now closer to his partner and old school friends.
On the pitch, the move has brought him into tandem with Marcus Smith.
A twin playmaker axis made up of two of England’s most extravagantly talented footballers was the concept.
After a Smith-less Quins were thrashed 48-0 by Gloucester on Furbank’s debut, some questioned whether such notions were a luxury, given the Londoners’ under-powered pack.
But, once they got to play together, the duo’s attack has been their defence.
After two minutes against Sale, Smith pulled the ball out the back to Furbank, whose long pass allowed hooker Sam Riley to trundle in.
After eight minutes, Furbank’s blurringly fast hands set up a try for Smith. After 19 minutes, the pair were part of a blindside pod of runners that barged through for another score.
Harlequins ultimately lost the game 28-24, but Furbank and Smith pulled strings effectively again the following week in a resounding Challenge Cup victory over French strugglers Vannes.
“He’s a one-of-a-kind player,” said Furbank of Smith.
“I think people take him for granted sometimes in terms of the player he can be. The things he can do on a rugby pitch – I don’t think many others many others can do
“He’s obviously a massive threat with ball in hand and has a great passing game as well, so it’s just about trying to understand what he’s going to do in certain moments then making my move off that.”