- Fin Smith has been handed his first Test start for England in the No 10 position
- England suffered a 27-22 defeat by Ireland in their Six Nations opener last week
England have confirmed that their two Smiths – Fin and Marcus – will join forces in the starting XV for the first time on Saturday, as exclusively revealed by Mail Sport on Tuesday.
Steve Borthwick has taken the bold step of selecting Northampton fly-half Fin for his maiden appearance in the coveted No 10 shirt, in a Six Nations match of major significance against France.
The head coach is under mounting pressure to deliver results after last weekend’s demoralising loss in Ireland, on the back of seven defeats in 12 Tests in 2024, but he has decided it is the right moment to roll the dice.
That spirit of calculated risk-taking also extends to the back row, where Saracens No 8 Tom Willis is another Test rookie who will make his first start for England. He has been picked at the base of the scrum, in a rejigged combination – with Ben Earl switching to openside flanker and Tom Curry continuing at blindside. The latter’s twin brother, Ben, is named among the replacements.
To accommodate the promotion of Fin Smith, Marcus Smith has been relocated from the primary playmaker role to line up at full-back. It is a ploy which Borthwick first adopted in the run-up to the last World Cup in 2023, and the Harlequins sorcerer went on to start at 15 in the quarter-final against Fiji.
But the 25-year-old is at pains to emphasise that he prefers to operate at fly-half, despite some eye-catching cameos for his club this season, in his alternative position.
Steve Borthwick has made three changes to the starting XV that suffered defeat in England’s Six Nations opener
Having lined up at fly-half against Ireland, Marcus Smith will play full back against France
Northampton’s Fin Smith has been handed his first Test start for the visit of France on Saturday
England will have an unfamiliar back-three combination to counter myriad French threats and seek to capitalise on the visitors’ long kicking game by counter-attacking from deep. Either side of Marcus Smith will be the Northampton wings Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme – who hasn’t played yet in 2025, so his inclusion is another risk. To add to the Saints flavour in the hosts’ back line, Fin Smith will join forces with his club half-back partner, Alex Mitchell.
In the on-going quest for cohesion, that established alliance could be an asset to Borthwick’s side.
The head coach has also highlighted the need for greater experience and decision-making nous in the ranks, which explains why he has opted to fast-track ex-captain Jamie George back on to the bench after injury, while Elliot Daly has also been added to the 23. However, given the presence of two 10s in the starting line-up, there is no match-day place for 98-cap George Ford.
ENGLAND team to play France at Twickenham on Saturday: M Smith (Harlequins); T Freeman (Northampton), O Lawrence (Bath), H Slade (Exeter), O Sleightholme (Northampton); F Smith (Northampton), A Mitchell (Northampton); E Genge (Bristol), L Cowan-Dickie (Sale), W Stuart (Bath); M Itoje (Saracens. capt), G Martin (Leicester); T Curry (Sale), T Willis (Saracens), B Earl (Saracens). Replacements: J George (Saracens), F Baxter (Harlequins), J Heyes (Leicester), O Chessum (Leicester), C Cunningham-South (Harlequins), B Curry (Sale), H Randall (Bristol), E Daly (Saracens).
