Two of Europe's most exciting fly-halves will meet at Murrayfield on Saturday when Marcus Smith lines up opposite Finn Russell for his Six Nations debut.
The young Harlequins man is likely to be heavily targeted by the Scottish defence as a relatively inexperienced midfield conductor at just 23-years-old.
His coach Eddie Jones has confirmed that Scotland will likely target the man who won the Premiership with Harlequins back in 2021 but has backed his star to handle the occasion and the challenge posed by Scotland.
“I’m sure Scotland are going to come at him,” Jones said. “We feel Marcus is ready to keep progressing his Test career. Every young 10 starts off at the stage where there are doubts about his experience to handle the pressure of the situation.
“At some stage they play a game bigger than they’ve ever played and it’s all part of their learning curve.
“I’ve got no doubt Marcus has got the desire and the drive to be one of the best 10s in the world and this game on Saturday will be an opportunity for him to continue his progress.
“There’s no reason why he can’t handle Saturday. He’s stuck between someone who has played 112 caps (Ben Youngs) and then Henry Slade and Elliot Daly who are both four or five-season Test players.”
With poor weather expected at Murrayfield it will be a severe test for Smith, with George Ford waiting on the bench should he not be able to weather the Scotland storm.
However, Jones has reiterated his faith in his young charge after his crucial last-minute winning penalty in November's 29-28 win over World Champions South Africa.
“It’s always about judgement. Looking up, what’s the opportunity? Is it the right time? Is it the right field position?” Jones explained.
“He’s a good decision-maker. You’ve only got to watch what he did against South Africa where against the best team in the world he was able to get us from our 22 to their 22 and to kick the goal to win the game.
“He made calculated decisions on when to move the ball and when to kick the ball and he’ll do that again on Saturday.”
