Chris Robshaw exclusive: Marcus Smith to shine in Alex Goode role for England

James While
Rugby World Cup stars Marcus Smith (England), Josh van der Flier (Ireland) and Antoine Dupont (France) - Chris Robshaw

Chris Robshaw previews the weekend's Rugby World Cup action.

Chris Robshaw previews the upcoming Rugby World Cup clash between England and Chile while also commenting on Antoine Dupont’s injury and South Africa v Ireland.

The former England skipper sat down with Planet Rugby’s James While to talk through how Dupont’s injury will impact Les Bleus’ squad.

He also addresses England’s faltering attack, balancing the playmakers and the mouth-watering Pool B clash between the defending champions and the world number one side.

Antoine Dupont bombshell

“Firstly, I’d like to respond to the big news of Thursday evening, and that’s Antoine Dupont’s injury, a blow to the cheek that’s reported to have ruled him out of the tournament until the semi-final stage,” Robshaw told Planet Rugby.

“Of course, this will be a massive blow to France, both on the pitch and in terms of morale. The period now, until the full facts of recovery are understood, will be the most stressful due to the uncertainty, which can be quite unsettling for a team. I am sure they’ll give him the most time possible; do you risk it to the semi-final? I think in terms of Dupont, you do.

“People are saying, should he have played and so on? Well, as a player, you want to be match-sharp, you have to keep playing, and you want to be on the field, and I’m sure Antoine would subscribe to that view. An injury like this can take place in training, and it’s a matter of luck if it happens to you. It’s a contact sport, and you cannot wrap players in cotton wool as they will lose their match sharpness.”

He added: “The tournament needs a fit Dupont, and all supporters of the sport will be wishing him well for his recovery, whenever that might be.”

England opportunities

“Moving on to England’s clash with Chile in Lille on Saturday, I’m delighted to see that Steve Borthwick has spread the load around the team and that we are seeing the fringe players get a shot, together with some interesting selectorial combinations as Owen Farrell returns from suspension,” Robshaw continued.

“For those fringe players, you don’t feel a part of the tournament until you’ve got your cap on the pitch, and it’s vital to maintain squad morale by getting these guys on the park and giving them a connection to the regular first-choice starters.

“Additionally, key players like Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje, Manu Tuilagi and Jamie George have put in some massive shifts, notably when England played with 14 men against Argentina, and they need to put their feet up and have a little breather for their own recovery.

“Dehydration has been a massive issue in the first two rounds due to the heat and humidity, and making sure that these lads get proper rest and recuperation is an integral part of the squad management.

“By saying that, one thing that has really impressed me has been England’s fitness. They’ve gotten stronger towards the end of both of their matches, and that’s a really good sign as the tournament hots up.”

He added: “England will want to score tries and show their attacking side in this match. There’s been criticism of the game plan thus far, but defence, match control and set-piece have been excellent thus far. Argentina and Japan were always going to need breaking down; they’re both tough rugby nations, and George Ford showed amazing clarity in his tactical thinking to wear them down.

“Attack is a work in progress, and I’m sure there’s now a desire to go to the next level of this team’s evolution as England are virtually assured of quarter-final qualification.”

Importance of playmakers

On the fly-half debate, Robshaw explained: “With Owen back at 10 but with Fordy in such great form, I’m absolutely certain that we’ll see the dual playmaker role in midfield alongside Ford as the competition progresses.

“For this weekend, that secondary playmaker will be Marcus Smith at 15; I am sure he will be used similarly to how Saracens employ Alex Goode, which allows England better distribution and a key ability to attack both sides of the pitch in the same way, France do with Matthieu Jalibert and Thomas Ramos off early phase possession.

“When England won the World Cup in 2003, people overlooked Mike Catt’s role alongside Jonny Wilkinson in that secondary playmaker role. Some of that may have been on the training ground, but nevertheless, Catt’s voice and vision was key for England and Wilko, and we’ll see the same thing emerge with this team.”

Robshaw also gave praise to a forward, adding: “Talking of playmakers, Ben Earl has really lit this England side up as a supporting and pacy flanker. He was probably third or fourth choice seven in the summer, but his wide support play and carrying has given a real point of differentiation to England, fulfilling the same function Siya Kolisi, Josh van der Flier, and Charles Ollivon do for their respective nations.

“That sort of play offers the extra man to create continuity and numerical mismatches in the channels, and it’s a real asset to England’s attack that Ben is playing so well, but it will be interesting to see where he fits in when Tom Curry returns from suspension.

“Chile will play their socks off and shouldn’t be underestimated. This will be their World Cup final, and they will have focused everything on putting on a disruptive display in this match,” he added.

“For England, it’s key to deliver a morale-boosting performance in attack but to do that, they will need to wear Chile down and earn the right, as they did versus Japan.”

Benches and traffic lights

Robshaw concluded by touching on the game of the weekend, saying: “In closing, it’s worth touching on the match of the weekend, South Africa versus Ireland, a mini World Cup final if you like!

“Much has been made of the 7-1 split on the Bok bench, with some saying it’s against the spirit of the game! I have to disagree with that, and it’s only the fans of the teams that are threatened by this approach that appear to be carping on about it.

“Having played many times against South Africa, I can tell you they’re the most tiring side to play against imaginable; as a regular ’80 minute’ player myself, seeing those behemoths running on off the bench is soul-destroying as you know you’re just going to be hammered in contact with fresh legs for another long 20 minutes and your heart kind of sinks for a moment until you gird yourself up for even more collisions.

“For me, it’s brilliant thinking, playing to your strengths and creating conversations around the game, win/win for everyone.

“And the noise about Rassie Erasmus’ traffic lights is also amusing; supporters are generally unaware that every time a physio or waterboy runs on then, they are live-wired to the coaching team and are passing on information. Those a little older than I also have pointed out the Cheetahs used to do this at Bloemfontein years ago, with fixed lights on top of the coaching box, so it’s hardly a new concept- it’s just the Boks being Boks!”

He added: “For Ireland, they look sharp and powerful, with Bundee Aki lighting up the tournament and looking bigger and fitter than I’ve ever seen him. With all the talk about the bench and so on, it’s key that Ireland remain true to their own plan and don’t get drawn into all the hype.

“James Ryan is their key man; when he went off for Leinster v La Rochelle, the Leinster physicality dropped off a cliff, and Ryan is the one man that has the pure abrasion to go toe to toe with the Springboks.

“Andy Farrell, a man who truly connects with his team from an emotional perspective, will be keeping them focused on their own authenticity, and if Ireland remain true to their own game, I think they can pull off possibly their greatest win in World Cups, but it will be by a single score at best.”

READ MORE: England v Chile preview: Red Rose to capitalise on weakness as Owen Farrell returns

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