Eddie Jones’s decision to take Marcus Smith off at a crucial juncture in England’s Calcutta Cup defeat by Scotland was premeditated and a missed opportunity for the fly-half, according to his Harlequins coach, Tabai Matson.
England were 17-10 ahead at Murrayfield – with Smith scoring all of their points – when Jones replaced him and introduced George Ford in the 63rd minute. Scotland proceeded to mount a dramatic comeback with Ford’s main contribution a disappointing touch-finder as Jones’s side sought to snatch victory in the closing minutes.
When asked about the substitution, Jones brushed off suggestions it was a costly decision, insisting, “It’s a 23-man squad and we felt George could do a job” – despite the fact that Smith had scored England’s only try and was on target with four penalties during his time on the field.
Numerous former players questioned the decision and, when Matson was asked about Smith’s showing at Murrayfield before Harlequins’ defeat by Sale on Sunday, he told BT Sport: “I think when he went off it must have been premeditated because he was going really well. His opportunity to close out the game would have been great for him but it must have been premeditated.”
Smith is, at least, expected to keep hold of the No 10 jersey against Italy on Sunday with Jones saying he will stick by his rookies as England seek to get their Six Nations campaign back on track.
Tom Curry is also likely to retain the captaincy with a defiant Jones adamant that his players need to be put “back into the fire” after England succumbed to defeat on the opening weekend of the championship for the third year in a row.
Italy’s defeat by France on Sunday was their 33rd in a row and the trip to Rome offers Jones the chance to freshen up his side.
The England head coach revealed that Courtney Lawes, who has been sidelined since last month with a head injury, has an outside chance of being fit to face Italy but Curry is expected to continue as captain if he does not return. Manu Tuilagi made an eye‑catching 29-minute cameo in Sale’s 36-14 victory at the Stoop, so he, too, could come into contention to face Italy.
The side that faced Scotland was the most inexperienced Jones has fielded in the Six Nations and, while England are now playing catchup in the championship, he intends to avoid making wholesale changes. “We’ve got a young team here that will learn a lesson from that,” Jones said. “I was really impressed by how in the first half it didn’t look like we were playing at Murrayfield – because we took it to them. So they didn’t have any of the fear of the crowd or the hostile reception you get.
“It’s a tough lesson but we will learn from it, very quickly. They need to get put back in the fire but what I want to see is that enthusiasm to tackle the game. It’s only a good lesson if you learn from it. And the only way you learn from it is to be tested again. We’ll need to pick the best 23 to play against Italy. Courtney at this stage has an outside chance of playing against Italy. He is progressing well.”
England’s defeat hinged on the penalty try awarded to Scotland when Luke Cowan-Dickie was shown a yellow card for deliberately slapping Finn Russell’s crossfield kick to Darcy Graham out of play. England led 17-10 at the time but another Russell penalty put Scotland 20-17 to the good and, while Jones’s side pressed for a response with a series of powerful scrums within kicking range, the referee, Ben O’Keeffe, opted against awarding a penalty.
Jones has history with O’Keeffe, having been reprimanded for comments made after his side’s victory against Wales in 2020. Jones joked he would make a video similar to that which landed South Africa’s Rassie Erasmus in hot water last year but later said: “There is a good feedback system but ultimately we play in a game where there is a lot of judgment and the referee has got to make a judgment on the field quickly. And I am not going to criticise his decisions.”
