PLENTY OF THE analysis of England’s latest defeat to Scotland focused on the ever-changing nature of the English 10-12-13 combination, and now head coach Steve Borthwick has to decide whether to mix things up yet again.
Yesterday brought confirmation that out-half Marcus Smith is back in the England squad after recovering from the calf injury that kept him out of the first three rounds of this Six Nations.
Given England’s attacking struggles against the Scots and out-half George Ford having an underwhelming showing, there have been calls for Smith to come straight back into the starting XV for this Saturday’s clash with Grand Slam-hunting Ireland at Twickenham.
Coming into this Six Nations, there had been an expectation in some quarters that it was Smith’s time to finally grab hold of England’s number 10 shirt once and for all. Owen Farrell is out of the picture and Smith must have been ambitious about taking ownership of this team.
The unfortunately-timed calf injury ruined that plan. Smith hasn’t played since a Champions Cup game for Harlequins just over six weeks ago. So maybe Borthwick will feel it’s a big ask to go straight back into the starting team for the toughest game of the championship.
Smith is also an option at fullback where he started three games at the World Cup, a tournament in which he didn’t get a start at number 10. The majority of Smith’s 30 Test caps have been at out-half, but Borthwick and co. seemed to like having his playmaking ability at number 15.
Judging from outside the English rugby bubble, Smith is a curious Test player. He turned 25 last month but it feels like things haven’t taken off for him. Being in the shadow of Farrell and, to a lesser extent, Ford has presumably been part of that. It’s also true that the attacking skills that make Smith so exciting to watch with Quins aren’t given as much time and space to flourish in Test rugby. To his credit, Smith has continued to work hard on his kicking and decision-making, which have clearly improved.
It remains to be seen if he will become England’s main man at out-half with Farrell gone. This writer’s suspicion is that Northampton’s 21-year-old Fin Smith, who has featured off the bench in this Six Nations, is the most talented of Borthwick’s out-half options and has a very high ceiling when it comes to Test rugby.
Borthwick must decide whether he sticks with Ford after yet another disjointed performance from England’s 10-12-13 combination last time out. Ollie Lawrence came into that mix at inside centre against the Scots and the lack of familiarity between him, Ford, and outside centre Henry Slade was obvious.
Lawrence has predominantly been playing at outside centre for Bath but as pertinent as the positioning was the complete lack of cohesion with the players on either side of him.
So does Borthwick give that trio another go and hope they can deliver a smoother showing? Ford’s excellent kicking game and experienced edge would certainly be useful against Ireland, even if his work in attack has declined. Too often, Ford failed to engage the Scottish defence before passing.
The sheer uncertainty around England selection has been a little maddening to observe, so one can only imagine how challenging it is for players. It doesn’t seem like the good kind of competition for places, but rather that England aren’t sure who they want to pick or what they want to be.
Freddie Steward has appeared to be their key man at fullback but was then dropped for the Scotland game last time out, with George Furbank coming in from the cold. Do they now revert to Steward for the Ireland clash?
Are Joe Marler and Dan Cole the starting props or is it Ellis Genge and Will Stuart? What role will the abrasive George Martin play and should Ethan Roots hold his place in the back row?
Borthwick has also welcomed scrum-half Alex Mitchell back into his squad this week. The Northampton scrum-half missed the Scotland game with a knee injury that was expected to rule him out of the rest of the Six Nations but is back in the mix.
If he is fully fit to play against Ireland, Mitchell will surely start. The 26-year-old was left out of last year’s World Cup squad but ended up travelling due to injuries and become the first-choice scrum-half in France. His instincts around the breakdown are superb and his kicking has become a strength too. Having him back would be big for the English, with 99-times capped Danny Care having an off day against the Scots.
The quartet of Mitchell, Smith, Lawrence, and Slade is apparently one that England have been keen to see.
This is a big week for Borthwick’s England, who were poor in defeat to Scotland after starting the Six Nations with narrow wins over Italy and Wales.
Now the English are 11-point underdogs for the visit of Ireland to their home patch.
In many ways, there is every reason for England to deliver a battling display but Borthwick needs to nail his selection if they’re to upset the odds.
