Steve Borthwick opens up on decision to retain ‘game-changer’ Marcus Smith for Scotland clash – after England full back was criticised for performance against France

Marcus Smith is a full back with full backing, after Steve Borthwick chose to retain the Harlequins playmaker as his last line of defence and first-choice goal kicker.

England’s head coach was determined to take all the tension and emotion out of the Calcutta Cup build-up — and the same could be said for the way he has managed the man being asked to operate away from his preferred position, in the No 15 shirt.

With Fin Smith continuing at fly-half after his match-winning feats against France, magic Marcus will remain at full back at Twickenham, armed with a resounding vote of confidence.

In the last round of the Six Nations, he made a positive impact as a creative threat from deep as England fought back to win Le Crunch 26-25, but there were also a handful of glaring errors which drew criticism.

The doubts expressed by many outside observers have not resonated with the man in charge, though.

Having announced a team to face Scotland featuring just one starting change — Ollie Chessum promoted in place of fellow Leicester lock George Martin — Borthwick was asked about his message to Marcus Smith on the back of his performance against the French.

Marcus Smith has been hailed as a ‘game-changer’ and ‘world-class kicker’ by his manager

The England full back was criticised after making a handful of glaring errors against France

Steve Borthwick has stuck by his guns by keeping Smith for the Calcutta Cup against Scotland

He said: ‘Marcus is a game-changer, a player with incredible ability. Sometimes, the opposition focuses very much on him, sometimes that creates space for others. Sometimes, there will be a window for him to find.

‘With Fin Smith and Marcus Smith we have two ball-players, two people who see space in the frontline and in the backfield and that’s going to be very important this weekend.’

Twice in the last game at Twickenham, Marcus Smith was off target with shots at goal, which could have proved costly.

Eventually, Fin Smith took over kicking duties and went on to land the decisive conversion. It felt as if that may have marked a changing of the guard, but it did not. When pressed on who would take on the goal kicking against Scotland, Borthwick was emphatic, saying: ‘Marcus. He’s a world-class goal-kicker. We all know that. This is very simple.’

So, had that been the message straight after the French match? ‘Yep. No hesitation. No doubt.’

There was also no doubt about making a solitary change to England’s starting pack. Martin had been hampered by a minor knee injury which prevented him from training last week.

Although the giant Tiger had been able to take part in the session at the team’s Surrey HQ on Tuesday, Borthwick had resolved to rotate his second rows, picking Chessum to play alongside captain Maro Itoje. The 24-year-old missed the last summer tour and autumn Tests due to injury setbacks, having rapidly emerged as a key figure in the England set-up.

Chessum’s influence extends beyond his years. Having coached him at club level before taking the Test job, Borthwick knows all about his credentials.

Ollie Chessum is the only change to the starting XV as he comes in for George Martin 

‘Very early on when I was at Leicester Tigers he was identified by all the coaches as a guy who was going to grow into a big leadership role,’ he said.

‘Earlier this season, he captained Leicester Tigers for the first time and, from every report I received, did it really well.

‘He’s grown into a lineout leader and caller, which wasn’t something he had done previously. He’s applying himself diligently to do that.

‘All of that points to a guy who wants to improve himself. He has the respect of everybody. He’s had a couple of injury setbacks and worked incredibly diligently to get back.

‘When he walked back into the squad, you could see how happy everyone else was. He has a presence and a positivity about him that rubs off on everyone.’