Fin's eager to help Saints hit the ground running on return to league action

But the England fly-half is desperate to help his team hit the ground running when they return to Gallagher Premiership matters at Bristol Bears on Friday night.

Smith has spent the past couple of months with the national team, making his Red Rose debut during the Guinness Six Nations.

But he is now back at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens and has been named at 10 for the trip to Ashton Gate this week.

And Smith said: "There's loads I've learned while I've been away but you've got to have an appreciation that the international game isn't the same as the club game so I'm trying to adapt to the style we've got here compared to the style we've got with England.

"We've been doing great before the break and it's just a case of seeing if we can hit the ground running like we were before.

"It's a little bit of the unknown but hopefully we'll be back on a similar page to what we were before the break happened.

"Looking at the table is daunting because if you lose games then you can be down in seventh or eighth.

"We're in a great spot at the moment but it's by no means done so we've got to be out the blocks and try to be at our best as quickly as we can.

"We're bound to be a little bit rusty, we've been apart for a long time, particularly boys like myself coming back into the team after being away, but if we make sure our energy is right then that should cover up any cracks there might be in clarity and the glue within the team.

"We'll hopefully be out there flying on Friday night and I'm sure we'll have plenty to work on after that.

"It's been optional defence the last few times we've played them so hopefully it won't be the case this time.

"They're a great side, they like to chuck it around, just as we do, so it should be an exciting game to watch."

Smith, who has recently overcome a calf injury, won two England caps during the Six Nations, coming off the bench in wins against Italy and Scotland.

"It was an amazing moment to get my first couple of caps and I'm really proud of that," the 21-year-old said.

"You build up your whole life dreaming about it and then you just want more after it happens.

"It feels like a big weight is off my shoulders and I can always say that it's something I've achieved so I'm really proud of that.

"It was a long time in camp and the last couple of weeks were a tad frustrating just because every rugby player wants to be playing and I wasn't.

"So I'm really happy to be back here and to hopefully get some minutes under the belt this weekend."