British and Irish Lions and England star Fin Smith admits it was an easy call to make to commit his future to Northampton Saints and England, amid links with the rebel R360 league.<\/p>\n
Smith, 23, was linked with a move away from Franklin\u2019s Gardens at the end of the current season, with both R360 viewing him as a key target and Leicester Tigers suggested to be in the hunt for his signature, but he has since signed a multi-year deal to remain with the two-time PREM winners.<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m really happy to stay at Northampton\u2019<\/p>\n
Upon confirmation of his new deal, Smith himself confirmed he had attractive offers to go elsewhere, but when it came down to the nuts and bolts, it was an easy decision to stay put.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy priority was to stay in England<\/a> and give myself a chance to play for my country and hopefully go to a World Cup,\u201d he told reporters ahead of Northampton\u2019s PREM clash with Leicester Tigers.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen most players finish their contracts, there are options, but I was pretty clear from the start that I wanted to stay in England, and I\u2019m really happy to stay at Northampton.\u201d<\/p>\n British and Irish Lions stars set for PREM return while England ace to be \u2018slow-walked\u2019 after an \u2018annus horribilis\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Springboks star\u2019s honest R360 admission as unions unite against breakaway competition<\/a><\/p>\n The number 10 arrived in the East Midlands in 2022 after the collapse of Worcester Warriors, and has since made 63 appearances for the club. His form at the Gardens has also pushed him to up to the England Test squad, winning 11 caps at the time of writing. Smith then also earned a place on the Lions squad for the tour of Australia earlier this year.<\/p>\n \u2018I think it\u2019s different for every sole individual\u2019<\/p>\n On Tuesday, a joint statement issued by the unions of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Italy confirmed that players who inked a deal with the breakaway competition would be ineligible<\/a> for Test selection moving forward; however, the half-back admits he can understand why players would take up an opportunity with the new league.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are people at a stage in their career where that (R360) makes a lot of sense,\u201d said Smith<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019ve achieved a lot in the international game and have done it, then going to play fewer matches and make a hefty sum of money is a pretty attractive proposition. I can understand that.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s different for every sole individual and only they know what really is their driving force; whether it\u2019s money or experiences or being around people they care about, it\u2019s all things you have to weigh up when you make decisions like this. That\u2019s why I can completely understand why, for some people and at certain stages in their career, it makes a lot of sense.<\/p>\n \u201cI certainly felt there were lots of things in my career I wanted to tick off before that, going to a World Cup and play more for England was something I really wanted to do. That made a lot of sense to me.\u201d<\/p>\n