Marcus Smith is reflecting on his first full year of playing for England, highlighting the importance of building relationships with teammates he sees sporadically during the season, when his eyes light up at the mention of Manu Tuilagi. The two have made three appearances together but off the field they have long since clicked. As Tuilagi prepares for a first England outing – against Argentina on Sunday – in almost 12 months, Smith believes the side has its fear factor back.
Of their three appearances, two lasted fewer than 10 minutes and for the other Tuilagi was stationed on the wing – not that he stayed there much – but it is clear Eddie Jones craves a midfield with both of them. Their last outing together came against South Africa at the back end of last year’s November campaign but ended abruptly when Tuilagi went off with a hamstring injury sustained after seven minutes. It came in the act of scoring a try in which Smith was pivotal, a glimpse of how effectively the two can combine.
