Calf Injury Forces Fin Smith Out of England Squad as Atkinson Gets the Call

England have been forced into a change to their Nations Championship preparations after fly-half Fin Smith was replaced in Steve Borthwick's 36-man training squad through injury. The Northampton Saints playmaker picked up a calf problem while featuring for his club in their Premiership defeat at Leicester Tigers over the weekend, and Gloucester's Charlie Atkinson has been called up in his place. Smith will remain with the England camp for rehabilitation and is set to be assessed again on Tuesday, leaving the door open for a return later in the campaign. The setback comes with England sitting third in the northern hemisphere table behind France and Scotland after three fixtures, having beaten Argentina and Fiji before losing to world champions South Africa. Borthwick's side now face Australia on November 8, followed by Japan and New Zealand over the following two weekends, and the head coach will want his first-choice fly-half options settled quickly. Elsewhere in the squad, there was a notable double inclusion for Sale Sharks, with twins Tom and Ben Curry both named after starting together for their club for the first time since June 2025 in Friday night's win over Newcastle Red Bulls. Centre Joe Marchant also returns to the international fold for the first time since the 2023 World Cup, having become eligible again since moving back to the Premiership with Sale. For Atkinson, the call-up is a chance to press his case at the highest level while Smith works his way back to fitness.