Northampton's George Hendy taking rough with smooth as he plots England path

04/11/2025 09:17 AM

'Ginger Penaud' is also handy with a Rubik's Cube and cricket bat but wants European glory against Castres

Fin Smith, the England fly-half, still remembers the day he first met his Northampton teammate George Hendy. Smith was seven and unimpressed by the elevation of a precocious six-year-old to his age group team at Shipston-on-Stour RFC. Even then Hendy was hard to miss. "This lad turned up with bright orange hair and his legs put on backwards," recalls Smith now. "I was probably not too excited in getting him involved."

Fast forward 16 years and both can be found on the same Saints teamsheet. Smith is already an England regular and Hendy, hoping to make a striking impact against Castres in the Champions Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, is looking to wear the red rose in Argentina and the United States this summer. With the fast-rising Henry Pollock also making a major splash, Northampton's dressing room is not short of youthful ambition.