Steve Borthwick may be inclined to ring the changes following England's annihilation at French hands, but Danny Care is hopeful Marcus Smith keeps his coach's faith for Saturday's Guinness Six Nations curtain call in Dublin.
Titleholders France handed the English their largest-ever home defeat in the fifth round of this year's tournament, a game heralded by some as a passing of the torch between captain Owen Farrell and the rising Smith. Or at least it might have been had Les Bleus not wiped the floor with their all-too-hospitable hosts.
A 53-10 fleecing naturally led some to suggest Borthwick was wrong to drop Farrell in favour of the 24-year-old. But with so few chances to experiment ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, Care hopes his Harlequins team-mate gets more backing in Saturday's Test against Grand Slam-hunters Ireland, and beyond.
