Owen Farrell has backed Marcus Smith to thrive in his first Rugby World Cup knockout clash in Sunday’s quarter-final against Fiji.
Smith will make just his second-ever start at No 15, at any level, in the last-eight battle with Fiji at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome.
The 24-year-old has been selected ahead of Freddie Steward, the Leicester star who has started 29 of England’s last 30 Test matches at full-back.
Farrell has returned to fly-half for the do-or-die encounter with the dangerous Pacific Islanders, with George Ford taking a seat on the bench.
The Saracens stalwart has linked well with Smith in the Quins star’s World Cup outings at full-back, and expects more of the same on Sunday.
“I’m always impressed with Marcus. I’m impressed with how much he wants to get after it,” said Farrell.
“How much he wants the ball, how much he wants to make a difference, and from what I’ve seen so far, the bigger the occasion, the more he wants to do that. And I think in the preparation so far, he’s shown how focused he is.
“It’s not like Marcus hasn’t played in big games, that’s certainly not the case. He’s won Premierships.
“So for him to be here, what he’s shown at full-back against Chile, and what he’s shown making an impact when he’s come on, he wants to have a big impact on the game. So far he has been doing, and I see that being no different this weekend.”
England boss Steve Borthwick sees no overt risk in pitching Smith in at full-back, with a big challenge ahead against Fiji.
Kevin Sinfield first floated the idea of Smith playing No 15, during England’s World Cup training camps in the summer.
What started as a dangerous change backline option off the bench has developed quickly, with Smith’s vastly improved acceleration rendering him a notable, constant threat.
“I think Marcus has played a lot of times at 15 in the last few months or so, over this last period of time, in this World Cup, coming on in plenty of games off the bench to finish them,” said Borthwick.
“I think he’s also now an experienced international rugby player. And as I say, I think this team is the right team for what we need to do this weekend.
“I think we all see what a top-quality rugby player he is, and I think I’ve seen in many of the players in this squad I’ve seen growth and development.”
Ford was England’s outstanding player in the tournament opening 27-10 win over Argentina, driving the Red Rose men around the field in some style.
His three drop-goals and six penalties powered England across the line despite losing Tom Curry to a third-minute red card.
Ford and Farrell combined at 10 and 12 for last weekend’s 18-17 victory over Samoa, but the partnership struggled for fluency, more than in part due to England’s breakdown issues.
So now Borthwick has reshuffled his midfield again, with Manu Tuilagi slotting in one place to 12 and Joe Marchant moving from wing to centre.
Borthwick insisted his players understand not just the realities of selection but also their continued roles if not involved in World Cup match action.
“With the players, I meet with all the players around selection, the reasons and the thought-processes around it and what we’re trying to do,” said Borthwick.
“George has been brilliant throughout this whole tournament so far, and his role is slightly different now, to come on and finish the game. And again he’s been brilliant in the training week.
“We have a lot of really good players who aren’t starting this game, we can talk about George, Ben Youngs, Freddie Steward.
“There’s a lot of top-quality players, Henry Arundell, and that shows the strength of this squad.”
