SELECTING Marcus Smith at full- back for England’s World Cup quarter- final clash against Fiji would be Steve Borthwick’s boldest call.
The England head coach is expected to name the fly-half at 15 when announcing his team tomorrow for Sunday’s last-eight clash.
Owen Farrell is in line to return to flyhalf, with George Ford expected to drop out of the starting line-up.
Should Borthwick also select Smith at full-back, as anticipated, both Ford and Freddie Steward would be hard done by in missing out.
Smith has honed his speed with both British Olympic legend Daley Thompson and former American Footballer and coach Travelle Gaines in California. The 24-year-old has become England’s fastest player over 15 metres, showing startling acceleration at this World Cup.
England are now primed to try to take full advantage of that extra speed, in what would represent a seriously big call from boss Borthwick.
This story is from the October 12, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the October 12, 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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