It was a moment that England, and Twickenham, desperately needed, marked with a noise seldom heard at the grand old ground for several years. As Marcus Smith dropped back into the pocket in those final moments against Ireland in March 2024, a quiet hush of anticipation was swiftly snapped by a roar of approval as the ball bisected the posts, an Irish side seemingly on course for a grand slam upset by an English side finding the sort of performance that had eluded them at home for so long.
While there had been wins over Italy and Wales at home under Steve Borthwick before, and plenty of struggles since, Smith’s strike was the moment that really gave the head coach’s tenure lift-off. England had looked a muddle at Murrayfield a round prior, caught between embracing a new identity and that which they knew, and falling down the crevasse in between. A shock win over Ireland restored fraying faith within the squad. “The players’ trust in you is really important,” Borthwick said afterwards. “It’s vital. If they don’t trust you, it’s so difficult. That’s why it is important to get tangible results. We saw a tangible result and aspects on the grass today.”
