England great warns Steve Borthwick about ‘repeating mistake’ over Smith playmaking conundrum
Marcus Smith and Fin Smith embracing after Six Nations win over France, and England head coach Steve Borthwick.
Brian Moore has warned Steve Borthwick about trying to “shoehorn” both playmaking Smiths into the England backline after the victory over France.
The head coach decided to switch Marcus to full-back after eight successive starts in the fly-half jersey at Test level. That enabled Borthwick to bring in the younger Smith, Fin, to the 10 jersey.
It had mixed results with the Harlequins star having a few issues in the 15 shirt, but his playmaking counterpart enjoyed a fine match.
The 22-year-old, despite a tough first half, starred after the break and set up two of their four tries, including the match-winner for Elliot Daly.
Questions ahead of Scotland clash
He duly earned the player of the match award and raised questions about what the England boss should do for their next Six Nations encounter against Scotland.
“What will he do about the fly-half Smiths? A man-of-the-match performance has thrust Fin Smith into the limelight and his supporters have been quick to anoint him as the man to lead England’s attack,” Moore wrote in his Telegraph column.
“This may or may not turn out to be correct, but Borthwick should also consider the fact that for the previous six games it was Marcus Smith who was the only creative spark that England managed to muster for much of those Tests.
“His move to full-back was not an unqualified success, but it does open up options for England. The question for Borthwick, and it is a welcome question, is how to best harness the talents of both Smiths, Freddie Steward and a fit George Furbank?”
Moore is not against having Marcus Smith at full-back but the England great does not want to see a repeat of the George Ford-Owen Farrell scenario.
“Some will say that a way must be found to have both Smiths on the pitch to maximise England’s attacking options,” he wrote.
“If this is done by moving one of them to inside centre, England will repeat the mistake that they made for several years of shoehorning Owen Farrell into the No 12 jersey, so that they could also have George Ford on the pitch.
“Farrell was talented enough to do a job there and it might be that one of the Smiths can do similar. That is not the same as allowing a genuine inside centre to develop a better partnership with a genuine No 13.
“If this solution is so good you have to identify which other major rugby power has gone down this route and succeeded. The answer is none, because it sounds great but it is not.”
England’s other options
England now have plenty of options at both 10 and 15 with Freddie Steward and George Furbank both performing well when selected at full-back, while Ford is a top-class alternative at fly-half.
Furbank could well return from injury for the final two games of the tournament. As a result, it gives Borthwick more options but, equally, it provides the head coach with an even greater selection dilemma.
“If Borthwick does decide to make it a straight shoot-out for the 10 and 15 starting positions, and I think he should, it is going to be hard on the players who miss out,” Moore added.
“That, I am afraid, is what Test rugby is about. It is why Borthwick is paid the big money, and this approach would have the bonus of making England’s bench much stronger, giving tactical alternatives later on in games. What a difference a win makes.”
