The Marcus Smith conundrum: Why Steve Borthwick will start him against Fiji, but does it matter where?
Marcus Smith is set to start for England this weekend v Fiji
Marcus Smith is primed to return to the England starting XV against Fiji this weekend, and he couldn’t have wished for a better chance to do so.
According to reports across the British media, Smith is set to deputise for Freddie Steward at full-back on Saturday with the Leicester back struggling with a hand injury, but this feels like Smith’s perfect game to return.
His journey at full-back might have begun against Chile in the 2023 World Cup pool stage, but it was their quarter-final clash against the Pacific Island nation where the pocket-sized playmaker showcased his true skill in the backfield.
Bloodied, bruised and sporting a cricket ball on his lip, Smith dazzled in the 15 jersey in that narrow 30-24 victory, setting in motion a change in the narrative surrounding the poster boy of English rugby.
Since then, Smith has been cast into a hot debate over his positional future, dotting between 10 and 15 almost on a weekly basis. That versatility paid off in the end, with British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell admitting he made the touring party for Australia as a result of his versatility, while also detailing he wasn’t competing with the rest of the fly-half hopefuls.
It has since seen him pigeon-holed into this utility back option spot, often seeing his name thrown into the discussion surrounding the England 23 jersey rather than the number 10, with George Ford and Fin Smith dominating column inches on that front.
But, even while he might prefer to play 10, his selection at 15 this weekend could very well see him re-enter the narrative in the starting XV.
Lee Blackett revolution
Smith is yet to be given any minutes in this new Lee Blackett attack, but it’s an attack that suits him down to the bone.
Blackett’s system is all about pulling the trigger when space presents itself. If you’ve watched Bath intensively in the past two seasons, that’s exactly what they do. They manipulate defences into narrowing up, based on gritty work up-front, but as soon as the defence starts to crab in, bang, they go wide. Finn Russell was simply excellent in that role, with his own desire to pass into space rather than to the actual catcher (complicated, I know) unlocking its true potential. Smith could do exactly that.
Yes, Ford will likely take most of the ball at first receiver this weekend, given he is set to start at fly-half, but Smith is the perfect man to then step into that spot when a chance presents itself. Smith is very much a play-into-space man, as we’ve seen right across his career with both England and Harlequins, often acting in a similar way to that of Russell as well, so you’d think that he will come in and be the man to pull the trigger.
Around that, the full-back has a really different role in Blackett’s system, and it’s again one that Smith could thrive in. For Bath, Tom de Glanville was almost given free rein to patrol around the field, basically an extra option in attack rather than a traditional 15, but that just fits the way he plays in that position.
Having the freedom Blackett’s system could give him means he can pop up in slightly different spaces than he would in a classic 15 role, which again will only see him get more touches and use his ability to carry in broken field to good use.
A big sticking point in England’s attack last weekend was that they weren’t able to find that killer pass out to the wings, but Smith’s own playmaking skills will fix that while then allowing the likes of Tommy Freeman to give that extra strike too.
It’ll be really interesting to see how he fares in this Blackett system.
Fijian chaos
Fiji are coming to the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, to throw the ball around and play high-octane rugby.
Their game is built around keeping the ball alive. Be it with an offload or quick-hands, everything they do is to keep the flow of the game going and to keep as many players on their feet as possible.
One thing they won’t do is test out the full-back with an aerial bombardment. That plays into Smith’s hands perfectly.
Without the need to consistently sit in the backfield in case of a wicked high-kick, Smith will be allowed to have that free-roaming role mentioned above and therefore get himself in the best position to counter-attack.
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