"I've been super impressed with him" – Fin Smith rumoured to start at 10 for England against France
Yesterday at 01:40 PM
England could be set to unleash an underutilised weapon this weekend, with the rumour mill leaking a possible first Test start for Fin Smith at fly half. The Northampton Saints man has six caps to his name, all of which have been from the bench so far in his England career. Smith’s start in the 10 shirt is expected to move his namesake talisman Marcus to fullback, for a rare start in the 15 jersey.
Whilst England assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth did not directly confirm or deny the plans for the fly half spot – as Steve Borthwick is set to name the team to face France on Thursday – he was full of praise for what Fin Smith brings to the table. Wigglesworth addressed the benefits of having both Smiths on the pitch at the same time, where George Ford fits into the mix, and the chaos they could all cause Fabien Galthie’s men on Saturday.
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"I think it would be what we see with Marcus [Smith] at 15, because we've seen him with George [Ford] and we've seen him with Fin [Smith]. He's obviously another set of eyes that are very opportunistic. 'Where's the space? Who can I beat?' Whether it is with George or with Fin, that's what it would bring. But Freddie Steward brings an incredible level of high ball skill and a kick return that is incredibly decisive on the way back. There are competing demands that you are trading off all the time."
"I think we are blessed with three 10s that can all play international rugby to a high level. Fin has had less chance than the rest at the moment, but he is really clear with his game, he is confident without being arrogant and wants to get better. He has all the things that you associate with top 10s. He is really clear with what he wants and how to best position the team.
“I've been super impressed with him, as I have with Marcus and Fordy. Fordy, I can't speak highly enough of what he's done behind the scenes, how he is training, how he is helping all those guys around him. I feel very fortunate to work with all three of them."
Fin Smith has been dutifully biding his time in the England camp, with the baton slowly but surely coming his way to lead the attacking line. Wigglesworth explained how no matter the week, he is always going to be dealing with a delighted starting XV, an eager replacements bench, and a frustrated remainder of the squad who have missed out on a space this time around.
"Everyone's international career is different. You can't say that anyone's is going to look the same. We have 15 happy players. Then we have eight on the bench who are happy they are in the squad but unhappy not to be starting. And then we have got guys who are really unhappy.
“We've got the best players competing hard, which is absolutely what we want. Do you expect them to be happy? No. Does that mean they don't have to understand to be patient? I can't tell them how to feel, but we can say to them that we want them to react really well and to train and keep trying to improve. Steve is the guy who selects the team and their job is to train as well as they can to force his hand one way or the other. That's the same for everyone outside of the 15."
The butterfly effect on Fin Smith’s suspected start, continues on with Freddie Steward getting shuffled across to the left wing, according to the leaked England XV to play France. This would see Steward take up the mantle vacated by Cadan Murley, who has been ruled out of the next two weeks of the tournament at the very least, with a knee injury. Wigglesworth expressed how he is ‘gutted’ for the young flyer, who marked his England debut with a try against Ireland in Saturday’s opening round Six Nations clash.
“We’re gutted for Caden because what he’s done is overcome a huge amount of injuries. He gets his opportunity, he scores and assists and then he’s not able to be in the mix again the week after.
“So I’m delighted that he got his chance and obviously really disappointed for him that it’s been away pretty quickly. But the sort of bloke Caden is, he’ll go away and take it in the right way. He’s off his feet for a couple of weeks but we might see him back at the end of the tournament.”
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