Smith partnership & Saracens spice – Furbank on life at Quins

George Furbank traded champions Northampton for struggling Harlequins – and the early signs of synergy with Marcus Smith are promising. Furbank arrived at the Stoop in the summer after a decade in the senior Northampton squad In the 10 years he spent in the Franklin's Gardens dressing rooms, George Furbank sang the line plenty of times. "Big city lights don't bother me," goes Northampton's victory song,, external a version of local anthem The Fields Are Green. "Northampton Saints I'd rather be." Had Northampton offered him a longer contract at the end of last season, Furbank may still have been with the champions. They didn't though, and Harlequins did. And suddenly those big city lights beckoned.

"Yeah, the big city lights are a change, but a change I'm enjoying," says Furbank. "There is just stuff on your doorstep which is unreal – great food spots, good coffee spots. I feel like within 10 minutes I can walk to get anything I need." The 30-year-old, who grew up in Cambridgeshire, has opted to live nearer to central London, rather than right by Quins' Guildford training base. After a decade up the line in Northampton, Furbank is now closer to his partner and old school friends. On the pitch, the move has brought him into tandem with Marcus Smith. A twin playmaker axis