Marcus Smith's Reaction to George Ford's Missed Kicks Has Everyone Talking

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England fly half Marcus Smith had nothing but sympathy for George Ford, after a heartbreaking end to their opening match of the Autumn Nations Series. Ford had two opportunities to win the match against New Zealand, as a penalty struck the post, and a last-ditch drop goal flew wide of the mark.

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“Yeah, that’s, that’s part and parcel of the job. I guess I’ve had the privilege of kicking with Ford for a long time now. He was the first guy who helped me back in the day in Brighton (2019), and I’ve learned so much from him kicking, he is an unbelievable kicker, both off the tee and and out of hand.

“And it’s one of those days, but I know he’s going to prepare as well as he can again, like he did last week. And sometimes that’s the life of the kicker. We’ve all experienced that, and it’s nothing to do with him. Why we didn’t win the game? It’s a team effort. And yeah, like I said, every kicker in the world experiences that.”

England captain Jamie George explained in the post match media session, how his side often run through the drop goal plays in training sessions. It is no secret that the three-pointer is a solid weapon in George Ford’s arsenal, with matches England’s 2023 Rugby World Cup opener against Argentina proving his proficiency from the boot.

Smith echoed the answer of his skipper, in how the England half backs routinely put into practice a late match winner with a drop goal through the uprights. However, the Harlequin expressed how things are vastly different on the Pennyhill Park training pitch, compared to when there are 80,000 fans and an army of All Blacks in attendance.

“Yeah, so as kickers, we always practice the drop goal. It’s part of our repertoire when we practice. But like I said, it’s very different to what when you’re out there 80,000 people, the All Blacks are shouting, ‘drop goal, drop goal.’ It’s one of them. It’s an extremely tough kick.

“Fordy is a master of that drop goal kick, and I’m doing everything I can to learn off him, Fin (Smith) and I both. So yeah, we do go through that scenario week and week out. We practice it as kickers every single day, but it’s one of them. Sometimes it don’t go for you. We’re all human. And yeah, people miss, people get them. So it’s one of them, flip of a coin.”

“Of course, we try and rep it as much as we can in training. There’s nothing that you can prepare yourself for when you’re standing out there with 82,000 people, it’s sometimes very difficult to hear what’s going on. A lot of it’s down to instincts and connection. But yeah, like I said, we’ve had now three narrow losses against the All Blacks.”

What made the defeat even tougher to take for Steve Borthwick’s squad, was how with 20 minutes to go, England were eight points ahead of the All Blacks. Smith cast his mind back to the Summer’s Test, which saw England in a similar position, before New Zealand managed to forge a late comeback for a dramatic win

“We’re eight points up, 20 to go. I think in the Summer, we’re in a similar situation. It’s one of them. I think when you’re growing and you’re on a journey as a team, sometimes you have to experience these tough losses in front of your friends and family and away from home. Like I said earlier, in the long run, we’ll be back for it. We’ll learn again. We’ll practice those scenarios again in training, and I’m sure, hopefully when it counts next week, we’ll be ready for it and in the future as well.”

Smith spoke in the media mix zone at the Allianz Stadium, and kept his focus on the next task at hand. The fly half believes that George Ford will be able to bounce back from the disappointing performance, with the full attention now on this weekend’s battle with Australia.

“I think, firstly, one thing that Fordy is so good at is, is he’s very welcoming. He dosen’t put himself on a pedestal. I’m in awe of the amount of caps he’s got. He’s done this for a long period of time. He’s taught me so much as a fly half, but he’s very much level in his head.

“He seeks Fin (Smith) and I’s opinion, and he’s very open. So I’m sure as a trio, we’re going to work hard to hopefully get the team on the front foot next week again, and hopefully, like I said earlier, beat the Aussies. Would be nice to beat them.”

Smith certainly has positive experiences to call upon against the Wallabies, as he emerged on the England scene in their 2022 Summer Tour of Australia. Given the chance for an international breakthrough under Eddie Jones, Smith took the chance with both hands and was a top performer of England’s trip ‘down under’.

“Yeah, of course, it’s nice to have positive reinforcement. I remember that day that was one of my first few caps, my fourth cap or fifth cap, it was an excellent day. Obviously, the rivalry and between Australia and England. My Dad’s a proud Englishman, so ever since I was young, he’s always put that at the forefront of my mind and my brother’s mind, whether that be rugby or cricket.

“So we know they’re going to bring the fire. We know they’re gonna want to beat us at our home. Got a new coach. They got some new players in there. It’s going to be a great test match. So everyone get down next week.”

RELATED ARTICLE:

"Brutally targeted" – Five players who flopped in the opening round of the Autumn Nations Series

Here's a look at five players who'll want to leave their performances behind after the All Blacks defeated England and Scotland routed Fiji in the Autumn Nations Series opener.

Ellis Genge (England)

Guardian 5/10: “Back from calf injury and gassed by Tele'a for first try. Embraced the blitz defence but beaten by Jordan too easily as well.”

Telegraph 5/10: “Brutally targeted by the All Blacks for their opening tries by Tele'a and Jordan. Rule of thumb: don't leave your prop exposed against All Black outside backs.”

Ben Spencer (England)

Guardian 5/10: “First start at 32 and looked nervous, caught out at one ruck on his own 22 and charged down. Settled thereafter but not the statement showing he'd have liked.”

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