STEVE BORTHWICK has rolled the dice on England’s World Cup campaign with his boldest-ever Test selection for Sunday’s quarter-final against Fiji.
The England boss — not traditionally a gambling coach — has picked Marcus Smith for only his second-ever start at full-back at any level.
Borthwick has so far adopted a riskaverse approach to his England tenure. But on the eve of his biggest challenge yet as Red Rose boss, he has opted to go for broke by installing Harlequins star Smith in the No 15 shirt.
The former England captain has displayed his ruthless streak in omitting both George Ford and Freddie Steward from his starting line-up.
Fly-half Ford starred in England’s tournament-opening 27-10 victory over Argentina, which settled Red Rose nerves after losing three out of four summer warm-up Tests. The Sale playmaker started at 10 with Farrell at 12 in last weekend’s jittery win over Samoa, and was withdrawn midway through the second half. Farrell shifted to flyhalf and Smith stepped into the backline at full-back for the closing stages against the Pacific Islanders.
This story is from the October 13, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the October 13, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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