"His words of wisdom" – Marcus Smith: England fly half opens up on George Ford's guidance as veteran passes on the starting 10 jersey
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From an outsider’s perspective looking into the England camp, this past Autumn Nations Series looked to have put to bed the exhaustive fly half selection saga. Marcus Smith started each of the four Test matches in the 10 shirt for Steve Borthwick’s side, with George Ford and Fin Smith forced to settle for replacement appearances throughout the past four weekends.
England’s starting fly half spot had been an area of great contention since Marcus Smith first arrived on the seen. The Harlequin was first brought into an England camp ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, when Eddie Jones’ side banded together in Smith’s home town of Brighton. Throughout the next four years, Smith would mature into one of the Premiership’s best halfbacks and he was firmly in the England senior squad in time for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
However, the flooded pecking order of world-class fly halves put Smith beneath both Owen Farrell and George Ford, as the Harlequin tried his hand in a make-shift move to fullback in France. Farrell would then step away from England as he signed for Racing 92 in early 2024, and Smith began the tug-of-war over the 10 jersey with the veteran halfback Ford. With an emerging Fin Smith chomping at his heels, Smith continued to elevate his game, yet a troublesome ankle injury hindered any chances of taking the 10 jersey off Ford for the 2024 Six Nations.
It was the following Summer tour of Japan and New Zealand that saw Smith surpass the Sale man, as Ford sat out the tour as he recovered from an Achilles injury. Smith took the chance to star in the 10 shirt by the scruff of the collar, and was a stand out performer of the three-match trip. This momentum rolled on into the latest Autumn Series, with Smith ever grateful to his previous fly half mentors for showing him the ropes, on his journey to finally becoming England’s resident starting 10.
“He (George Ford) was brilliant. I’ve been very privileged to work with George and Owen growing up. George today kept emphasising the points in the week around pushing Japan back, working on our counter attack, giving me a few pointers on my kicking. It was quite swirly today in the stadium; a lot more swirly than it was yesterday. His words of wisdom, I really appreciate every time he hands me the tee. It’s an honour to work with him.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Fin (Smith) and George. George constantly is full of advice for me and is willing to help Fin and I. Obviously Fin being younger than me I help him if he needs the help. He doesn’t really need it to be honest – he’s an excellent player, makes good decisions at the line. He’s brave to throw the ball, and do attacking plays.
“In D he puts his body on the line for the boys. If he ever has any questions I’m always willing to help. One thing is that I’ve experienced being a young 10 in the England environment, and he’s a lot more confident than I was. He’s been brilliant in camp, and I’ve learned off him as well.”
Smith expressed how he would expect Ford to become “a class coach” one day, as the Sale man’s knowledge and influence upon the next generation knows no bounds. When Smith talks, the fly half shows subtle glimpses of his elder England teammate, as the pair share a selfless approach to putting the team first. Smith was asked to review his performance of the Autumn after England’s win against Japan, and the 25-year-old batted away any individualism, with his focus remaining upon how the entire squad has grown this campaign.
“I don't think its fully about me. First and foremost, it's been a pleasure to be a part of this group. The lessons we've learned over the last three weeks, and today, are going to be invaluable for us moving forward. Obviously results didn't go the way we wanted them to but the belief in the group hasn't gone down, it's actually increased, down to the preparation we've been doing in training. The leaders have kept us on the money in training, and we're trying to progress as much as we can for the Six Nations, if selected.
“I know the group will work as hard as they can. I know the staff will work as hard as they can. If we put our best foot forward, we've shown in the last four weeks that we challenge opposition and make teams play badly against us. For us, it's about winning those moments, especially going into the last 20 where we've been ahead or within one score.”
It was an Autumn of the fine margins for England, and had the final whistles been blown at hour mark, Steve Borthwick’s side would have achieved four wins from four and a stunning record from the November series. Smith identified the trend of curtailing off the path to victory in the last 20 minutes, with the squad setting this in their scope to improve, ahead of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations.
“If you look at all the games, especially the last three, in the last 20 we were in the lead or within one score.” Smith said. “That's a trend you see all the top teams go through, different cycles. I'm a believer in God so I believe it's God's timing when that happens. You lick your wounds and suffer when you lose, but as a group we've worked as hard as we can. We're doing our best and the learnings from the last 20, playing bigger than we did, is going to hopefully get us over the line.
“You've got to rep it in training, play big in training and be willing to make mistakes. That's the best way to learn. Sometimes it's awful. Individually, I've had a lot of tough learning experiences playing at 10, not just playing for England but for Harlequins as well. Those are the moments where your really reflect on yourself, really try and learn and be better for the team.”
As Smith alluded to, the fly half is all set for the short walk back home across Chertsey Road, as he swaps the Allianz Stadium for the Twickenham Stoop upon his Harlequins return. The Premiership is scheduled to come back with a bang this weekend, with Quins in action under the Friday night lights against their fellow league entertainers Bristol Bears. It’s a quick turnaround for the international players, yet Smith is hopeful to continue his impressive form and return to the England squad next January.
“When I get back to the club I’ll be fully committed again, hoping to get Quins climbing up the Premiership, do well in Europe, and if selected for the Six Nations I’ll try to add value to the team. From a central contract point of view it’s obviously a privilege and an honour, but it’s been made clear we need to perform for our clubs and do our part for our club teams, so fingers crossed for myself and the rest of the boys.”
The post “His words of wisdom” – Marcus Smith: England fly half opens up on George Ford’s guidance as veteran passes on the starting 10 jersey appeared first on Ruck.
