Smith in line for England as Premiership sides finish final round before Test break
Bath, Harlequins and Leicester all won in the final round of Premiership matches before the competition pauses for the November Test window on Saturday. Marcus Smith's recent form for Harlequins has made him the form fly-half pick to start for England against Australia on Sunday after Fin Smith was left doubtful with a calf injury.
It is 21 months since Marcus Smith last started at fly-half for England; following the opening-round defeat by Ireland in the 2025 Six Nations he fell behind Fin Smith and George Ford in the pecking order. Head coach Steve Borthwick has used Smith at full-back or as a versatile replacement and the 27-year-old even filled in at scrum-half against Fiji in the summer. Having missed Harlequins' opening two Premiership fixtures, Smith has been central to their resurgence, setting up Cadan Murley's early try and creating Jack Kenningham's score with a late blindside sweep in Saturday's victory at Exeter. Harlequins finished that match with five tries from seven visits to Exeter's 22m while Exeter managed four from 13, and Smith helped steer his side back from seven points down early in the second half.
Borthwick will also have noted a crop of English-qualified forwards emerging for Harlequins: two-try Lucas Schmid, second-row Elliot Williams and replacement front-rowers Will Hobson, Sam Riley and Ollie Streeter all contributed to a hard-nosed performance in a nine-try contest at Exeter. Their involvement underlined the depth of options coming through for the club as they claimed the win.
Leicester's season has recovered from their 40-38 opening-round defeat by Saracens to place them top of the table after a series of forthright displays. Captain Ollie Chessum missed the early weeks with a foot injury and only returned last weekend against Northampton; he impressed again, charging down scrum-half Harry Randall in the opening two minutes, disrupting Bristol's line-out, securing turnovers and bringing physicality around the park. Chessum's on-field confrontations — a grapple with Henry Pollock in the East Midlands derby and a brief shirty exchange with England team-mate Ellis Genge at Ashton Gate that ended with knowing smiles — accompanied a performance that followed the announcement of a bumper new contract last week. Leicester coach Geoff Parling, who appeared for Leicester, England and the British and Irish Lions during his playing career, now has a clear figurehead for his side.
Northampton's free-running style was met with a targeted response from Gloucester after Borthwick had identified breakdown intensity as an area where the Premiership can lag the Test scene. Referee Sara Cox promoted the contest on the floor, and Val Rapava-Ruskin, Jack Clement and Dewi Lake produced big jackal turnovers as Gloucester matched Saints for an hour. Northampton did not make their first inroads into the opposition 22m until the 34th minute, but two rolling mauls levelled the scores by half-time and second-half tries from George Hendy and Rory Hutchinson secured a bonus-point win. With Bristol and Leicester having found success with similar breakdown-focused approaches earlier this season, coaches Phil Dowson and Sam Vesty can expect opponents to try to stifle Saints' attacking flow.
The weekend produced a viral incident at The Rec in Bath's win over Sale when Finn Russell gathered George Ford's chip ahead and, as the referee's whistle blew for a penalty to the visitors, bumped Ford to the floor with a shoulder to the chest before dropping the ball onto Ford's head as Ford attempted to get up; a melee followed and Russell escaped censure. Referee Anthony Woodthorpe could have awarded a penalty that would have advanced Sale up the pitch and given them a line-out from close range — the source of Sale's only try to that point — but that would not have changed the outcome, and Sale failed to capitalise on a similar platform minutes later. Cokanasiga scored twice as Bath overcame Sale.
Max Hicks produced another strong all-round display for Newcastle Red Bulls, making two turnovers, gaining 56 metres from 11 carries and contributing at the line-out with jumping skills developed during a childhood playing high-level Aussie Rules; the 27-year-old was born in Auckland and qualifies for England through his mother. Newcastle led for the majority of their match but second-half yellow cards for Sam Graham and Alex Hearle undermined their challenge, allowing Saracens to score four of their six tries in a 17-minute spell while at least a man up. Newcastle go into the international break bottom of the table, a position that leaves them a point behind Exeter and Sale.
The Premiership now pauses for the November Test window, shifting focus to international fixtures and selection decisions such as the likelihood of Marcus Smith starting at fly-half for England against Australia on Sunday.
