Fly-half’s display at No 15 against Chile gives Steve Borthwick options depending on who awaits England in the last eight
Whether Marcus Smith appears at No 15 again in the remainder of England’s World Cup campaign is likely to depend on who their quarter-final opponents are. If they meet Wales, then Freddie Steward has to come back in to deal with the aerial assault Warren Gatland’s side will look to launch, but if it’s Fiji I can see Marcus keeping hold of the jersey.
Wales looked so comfortable without the ball against Australia. They dismantled the Wallabies, played nothing in their half, had a big aerial kicking game with Josh Adams and Liam Williams charging down the sidelines, causing havoc and unloading their jackal operators. If that is going to be the case then England need Steward to provide the power required to ride those collisions.
Fiji would pose different problems. They don’t come with the same aerial threat so the game might suit someone such as Marcus to make it a bit more open, and that could be done from the start. Marcus hasn’t played there a lot so it’s all about instinct and how he gets himself into the game. Anyone who watches Harlequins knows that he’s a big focal point for us, he’s the one who wants to get his hands on the ball.
A lot of the play gets dictated by him, like Finn Russell for Scotland. It’s just a different way for Marcus to do that from 15. He’s coming in a little bit wider, he’ll still be the second playmaker, he has the ability to step up on both sides but also the ability to create one‑v‑ones in wide channels. He’s very good at that, he’s got a very good step, especially off his left, and he’s someone who can add another dimension to the game.
England were playing the lowest-ranked team in the competition and when the fatigue started to kick in, Chile could not cope with their linespeed and really struggled to force Owen Farrell and Ollie Lawrence back on the inside, or to make them play the ball early. Farrell had an armchair ride which meant England were able to preserve space out wide and Marcus and Henry Arundell enjoyed all the time in the world out there. I’d imagine against stiffer opposition it’ll be a lot more of a challenge but certainly it opens up another tactical option with Marcus looking comfortable at 15. In a knockout match, if they need to chase a game in the last quarter, certainly having dual playmakers on the field is going to allow more ball movement.
A bigger selection decision for Steve Borthwick is shaping up to be whether he goes for George Ford or Farrell at fly-half. England look good with Manu Tuilagi as their focal point and Joe Marchant is arguably one of the best-performing backs at the moment. He’s defensively very strong, offers a lot in attack with his carrying and he works incredibly hard off the ball. I’d imagine you’ll have those two in midfield, then it comes down to who you pick at 10. England have a week off before their last game against Samoa and you probably want to give your quarter-final combinations about 60 minutes in that game so how Borthwick sets up the team will be indicative of his plans for the knockout stages.
Whichever way he ends up going, he will have a reliable goal-kicker on the pitch and last weekend demonstrated how important that is going to be at this World Cup. Wales lost Dan Biggar early against Australia but Gareth Anscombe came on and kicked 23 points. In South Africa’s narrow defeat by Ireland, however, the Springboks missed 11 points from the tee which ultimately proved costly. They do have Handré Pollard working his way back to fitness but in a tournament where powerful defences and strong set pieces are so influential, kicking your goals will be paramount.
That was a game in which the World Cup moved up a gear, it was a big step up, even on the first game between New Zealand and France. The physicality, the set piece and the breakdown battle were unbelievable. I know there was a lack of tries but I was glued to it. It would have been worthy of a final and that’s a credit to both countries. When you get two good teams operating near their peak, there’s not going to be a lot of space or opportunities. You’re only going to get three or four in a game and they took one each.
You can draw comparisons with football where you get a lot of dull 0-0s but you also get some unbelievable 0-0s that you can’t take your eyes off, some amazing defending or goalkeepers pulling off fantastic saves. It was a bit like that, there were last-ditch tackles, there were chances butchered, scrambled defence and missed kicks. It was full‑on war, it was captivating and was a great advertisement for our sport.