Wherever England have hosted a press conference in Lille this week the local police have been training sniffer dogs just outside and you cannot help but feel there’s a metaphor in there somewhere. These young pups are being taught to sharpen their senses, to hone their instincts and, whether you see the merits in England’s death-by-a-thousand-kicks approach or not, a few similar lessons for Steve Borthwick’s side would not go amiss.
Which brings us on to Marcus Smith – England’s most instinctive youngster – and his selection at full-back against Chile on Saturday. There are two ways to look at Borthwick’s decision to hand Smith a first start in the No 15 jersey after only three, albeit impressive, cameos from the bench. Firstly, as a thanks for coming. A start in a match England are fully expected to win comfortably, for which Borthwick has made 12 changes and, for all the sense of anticipation it brings, an acknowledgment that the only way Smith gets a look-in at fly-half for the remainder of the tournament is through injury or suspension elsewhere.
Owen Farrell has been reinstated for a match that he would never have featured had he not been banned hitherto and, you feel, without that suspension Smith had been earmarked to start at No 10. Sources close to Smith have still questioned why he isn’t getting a chance in his favoured position but, throw in George Ford, and it seems clear the Harlequins fly-half is third in the pecking order. Maybe this is just the latest example of an England side, no matter the sport, shoehorning a generational talent into a position that they are not best suited. In other words, a start at full-back is not a start at fly-half but it is a start nonetheless, so g o out there and enjoy it while it lasts, Marcus.
The second is that Borthwick, Kevin Sinfield – who came up with the idea during England’s heat camp in Verona in July – and Richard Wigglesworth genuinely see Smith playing at full-back as an option in the knockout stages of the World Cup. Maybe not from the off, given Freddie Steward has started the past 28 matches for England, though one of those was on the wing with George Furbank – a playmaker in his own right – wearing 15.
Indeed, it is not inconceivable that Smith performs so well against Chile that he keeps hold of the jersey and Steward is invited to showcase his aerial prowess from the wing. England are never going to deviate too far from their kicking strategy but perhaps there has been a realisation they need another playmaker on the pitch. That, as impressive as they were in reclaiming kicks against Argentina and Japan, they need more creativity whenever they win it back.
Maybe it is a shift in direction, a different gear and an appreciation that whereas once the trend was to have a second playmaker at inside-centre, doing so at full-back is now en vogue, as seen with Damian Willemse or Willie le Roux for South Africa, Beauden Barrett for New Zealand and Thomas Ramos for France. “I try to study as much as I can, different teams and how they play,” Smith said, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Rugby Union Daily podcast.
He added: “I have tried to connect as much as I can with [Owen] this week and hopefully we will build that connection between 10 and 15 so we can link on the field and share ideas when there’s a stoppage in the game and seek the best solution to go forward with the team. Hopefully I can give him my eyes from a wider position on the field and help him out as much as I can.”
That Smith speaks glowingly of Farrell – 24 hours after his captain had done so about him – is interesting because all of his cameos at full-back to date have come with Ford at fly-half. Eddie Jones persisted with a 10-12 of Smith and Farrell, Borthwick tried it once, but had only limited success. The concern would be that the same occurs with Smith at full-back; the hope that with more space, they finally hit it off as a double act.
“Having played fly-half as well, where you are in charge of a lot of different aspects of the game, to have a second pair of eyes giving you opinions, giving you thoughts, sharing where the space is, is really helpful,” said Smith. “I have tried to be that guy from the back, slightly wider and trying to organise the forwards in different positions to allow me to get out the back or get the ball in positions where I can feel dangerous and threatening or I can put our wingers, who are brilliant with ball in hand, in space. I am learning off one of the best players [Steward] in the world at 15.”
As much as Steward is showing Smith the ropes, there is no escaping the fact that the former is nine inches taller and 22kg heavier than the latter. England have been at pains to point out Smith’s improvements defensively but acting as the last line against Chile is an altogether different proposition than against, say, Fiji, who may end up as quarter-final opponents. “There are a lot of full-backs who are quite short around the world,” said Smith. “I think I can hopefully add something slightly different from the back, in my own personal way.”
Ultimately, to get a sense of how much longer we see Smith in this tournament, much will depend on where Ford comes on to the field on Saturday. England have been training with all three in unison and though Borthwick decided against it this week, there is the creeping feeling that Ford and Farrell will reprise their partnership against Samoa, in the final pool game, and in the knockout stages. If so, a place on the bench, at the very least, is available to Smith from here on. “I think it has added a string to my game that I am excited to hopefully show this weekend.” Here’s hoping that if he does, it is not the last we see of him.
