Will Carling: England ‘need’ a Marcus Smith-led ‘unrestricted game plan’ to topple the All Blacks
England fly-half Marcus Smith alongside former captain Will Carling.
England may have shown more of a propensity to attack recently, but ex-captain Will Carling has urged Steve Borthwick to give his side complete freedom with the ball in hand against the All Blacks.
The Red Rose initially opted for a conservative plan under Borthwick following the sacking of Eddie Jones in December 2022.
That was due to the closeness of the Rugby World Cup, with the new head coach having little time to bring in a more complex style.
However, since the conclusion of the global tournament, England have looked to expand their game and there has been much more variety over the past few games.
Recent improvement
It finally clicked against Ireland in the Six Nations before they almost overcame France away from home, only for a late Thomas Ramos penalty to deny them a victory.
Borthwick’s men then prepared for the tour to New Zealand with a comfortable 52-17 triumph over Japan last month.
Marcus Smith took the reins from the injured George Ford at fly-half and impressed as they ran in eight tries against the Brave Blossoms.
Smith, who is renowned for his attacking style, is once again preferred for the upcoming Test with the All Blacks, and Carling hopes that he is well and truly let off the leash this weekend.
“Marcus, I love him, but it demands a completely different mindset from everyone around him and, whether that’s too much for Borthwick, I don’t know,” he told the official All Blacks podcast.
“At some point, he’s got to embrace it and we play. I personally think for us to stand any kind of a chance, we have certainly got to play against New Zealand.
“We can’t play a restricted game plan, they’re too good.”
The ex-England skipper believes that the players have been crucial in the gradual change to a more expansive approach, which has allowed their talented young backline to thrive.
“They struggled a wee bit in the World Cup and at the start of the Six Nations, but the players have had a bit more of a voice about how they want to play,” he said.
“Certainly against Ireland and France, you’ve seen a different approach and I think that suits them more.
“I think they’re enjoying it more and it’s going to be one hell of a challenge for them because New Zealand, despite the result in the (World Cup) final, are still probably the most complete team in terms of the way they can play.
“It’s going to be really, really tough. The bit I would like to see from England is, in terms of a pack of forwards, we need some guys with a bit of an edge. They’re going to have to front-up otherwise it’s going to be very hard for them.”
Selection and key players
Borthwick has not decided to tinker too much with selection, with the only changes to the XV coming in the front-row as Joe Marler and Will Stuart start.
That means Tom Curry remains on the bench as Chandler Cunningham-South, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl combine in the back-row.
In front of the loose trio are Maro Itoje and George Martin, who offer good balance at lock.
However, Carling feels that Itoje must produce a big performance on Saturday, while the 58-year-old is not so sure that number eight is Earl’s long-term slot.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Tom Curry. I’m not convinced number eight is Ben Earl’s best position but he’s going well,” he added.
“We haven’t seen the best of Maro for a while, and we need that.”
