Archive November 9, 2025

Abu Dhabi Championship final-round leaderboard

-25 A Rai (Eng), T Fleetwood (Eng); -24 N Hojgaard (Den), R McIlroy (NI); -22 R Mansell (Eng), D Hillier (NZ); -21 I Elvira (Spa), A Sullivan (Eng); -20 A Ayora (Spa), R MacIntyre (Sco), M Penge (Eng)

Selected others: -20 S Lowry (Ire); -18 M Jordan (Eng), J Smith (Eng); -15 L Aaberg (Swe); -14 M Fitzpatrick (Eng); -11 T Hatton (Eng)

Aaron Rai held off the challenge of Tommy Fleetwood in a play-off to win the Abu Dhabi Championship after a thrilling final round at the Yas Links.

Rai sank a seven-foot birdie putt at the first play-off hole to seal victory after fellow Englishman Fleetwood could only hit par.

The pair had earlier both finished top of the leaderboard on 25 under for the tournament, although Rai missed the chance to win it in regulation when his birdie putt at the 18th skirted the edge of the hole.

“It’s hard to sum up [my emotions],” said Rai, 30. “You’re so focused on playing the round and staying in the zone, it’s hard to put into words at the moment how it feels. It is amazing to be stood here.

“Tommy is a phenomenal player and an even better person. To play with him the last two days was really special. It’s amazing to be here.”

Rory McIlroy finished one shot further back after a stunning final-round 62 – his best round on the DP World Tour this season.

Fin Smith delivered arguably the best defensive display we have seen from an England fly-half in several years.

How he fronted up by consistently making his tackles against a physical Fiji side was impressive.

His game management was also immense – he showed an excellent balance of finesse and control, and made some strong decisions when things were not going to plan in the first half.

His ability to calm the team strategically and make big calls is something he has really nailed.

In my opinion, Fin Smith is England’s number one fly-half and he should start against New Zealand next week.

I think head coach Steve Borthwick sees it that way as well, because Fin has proven he can perform in big Test matches.

George Ford started last Saturday against Australia for leadership reasons, and part of that decision was to provide continuity and reward his form from the tour of Argentina.

But England’s performance against Fiji was a significant step up from the performance against Australia.

The Wallabies lost in Italy on Saturday, so we should not get too carried away with that win, which should have been by a larger margin given how off the pace Australia were.

Fiji, on the other hand, were much more threatening and presented a far tougher challenge.

Fin Smith is still only 23 – looking ahead two years, with Ford challenging him but also offering support, I think Fin will be in a very strong place as a player.

Marcus Smith also has to be considered as an option at the right time and against the right opposition.

He is developing as a player and is starting to find his feet, but he also needs the freedom to show his unique qualities.

New Zealand brought on Damian McKenzie, who scored the decisive try to beat Scotland, and that shows the importance of having players who can make a real impact from the bench.

That kind of presence can be the difference between winning a World Cup or not.

McKenzie watches the game unfold from the bench and thinks about how he can make a difference when he comes on. His decision-making and error rate have improved significantly since his early career.

If we can get Marcus to be that kind of impactful player, then having him in the backfield could be valuable.

However, at the moment I don’t think Marcus is the answer at full-back, so that is a position that is still up for grabs.

The All Blacks will kick to challenge England’s backfield, so it has to be watertight.

It is a position that needs to become a real strength, both defensively and in terms of the counter-attack threat.

Right now, I don’t think Marcus is a full-back at the highest level. I struggle to see the benefit of playing him there.

There are obviously a lot of similarities between Ford and Fin Smith.

Fin has the ability to make the correct decisions under pressure – his instincts are not something you can really coach.

I recall when he got the ball at one stage just inside his own half and it looked like it could be on if they swung it wide.

But in those milliseconds he thought they needed to turn Fiji round as we are up on the scoreboard, so he kicked it to pin them back and turn the screw.

That’s the sort of fly-half play that wins championships and wins World Cups.

He also has that calmness under pressure to organise the players around him, and the understanding that he doesn’t always need to be the first receiver.

I want to see him given the opportunity to show that at the highest level next week, just as we have seen George Ford do, especially at club level week in and week out for Sale Sharks.

In Argentina, Ford also stood up in difficult situations, where historically you could argue there have been times he has not quite done so in the very highest-pressure games.

I think we have two fly-halves who can do the job, but with Fin’s defence on top of everything else, it makes him the more complete all-round player.

It also means you don’t have to adjust your defensive system when you have someone aggressive in the fly-half channel, rather than someone who is a little more passive.

You could also make a strong case for Ford starting and Fin Smith coming off the bench.

There are so many factors that go on behind closed doors, but whichever way the coaches decide to go, it will give New Zealand problems.

That has not always been the narrative against the All Blacks, where the focus was simply on picking the right player.

This time, whichever fly-half they choose can put New Zealand under real pressure.