England fly-half Marcus Smith has been labelled one of the “most dangerous players in the world” by Danny Care, who expects Steve Borthwick to experiment with his Harlequins team-mate at full-back again this coming Guinness Six Nations.
As soon as England’s disappointing Autumn Nations Series ended with the meagre solace of a 59-14 victory over Japan, the most prominent debate in English rugby has been who will wear the England No. 10 jersey for their Six Nations opener against Ireland.
While Care backs front-runner Smith to keep hold of the jersey, he believes that no one “fully stands out” and can therefore understand why Borthwick might opt for Northampton Saints’ Fin Smith or even Sale Sharks’ George Ford, who currently sits on 98 caps for England.
An injury to full-back George Furbank has added the possibility of Marcus shifting further down the backline, either starting in the No. 15 jersey or filling the role later in matches. But Care stressed that Marcus “wants to play 10” when speaking to RugbyPass recently, adding that his sole focus is on playing at fly-half while with his club. With that said, his versatility and ability to play “anywhere”, means the 25-year-old “suffers from his own success”.
“He’s always 10 when he’s at Quins,” Care said when Speaking on behalf of TNT Sports to promote watching live sport in pubs.
“There was a game recently where we had an injury, so within five minutes he he went to 15 because Jarrod Evans was the replacement and that’s kind of how it worked. Fortunately, Marcus is brilliant at both.
“I’ve said it before, he suffers from his own success really. Honestly, you could put him anywhere, I genuinely think you could because he is that talented a player.
“He wants to play at 10, I know he does. I think 10’s his best position, but I also can see maybe late in games or against certain teams, that it could be a great thing to have him and another 10 on the pitch at the same time, because you’ve got an extra pair of hands that can move the ball and see the space. Marcus in space is one of the most dangerous players in the world.
“So I do feel at some point in this Six Nations you’ll see two 10s on the pitch at the same time. That probably means Marcus will be at 15, but I do stand by the fact that I want him on the ball as many times as possible and I think you’ll do that more in the 10 shirt.”
The England fly-halves find themselves in a similar position to one that Care found himself in for a large portion of his England career.
Many of the 38-year-old’s 101 caps for England were spent vying for a place with England’s most-capped player Ben Youngs. This helped Care forge a reputation in the early years of Eddie Jones’ tenure as the chief ‘finisher’ from the bench.
When reflecting on the battle he had with the Leicester Tigers No. 9, the Harlequin believes it was a good thing for both the players and England as iron sharpened iron.
With the two Smiths and Ford now in a similar position, the former England star feels this could once against be beneficial for the national team.
“I was actually with Youngsy recently and we were talking about how brought the best out of both of us,” Care said.
“You know you have to play well every time you get an opportunity because you know you’ve got someone of a real high quality who wants your shirt.
“So I generally think it’s a really good thing, it’s a good thing for England, it’s a great thing for the players to know that you have to be on it every single time you’re on the ball and on the pitch.
“Both of those lads want the 10 shirt and they’ve still got George Ford as well in that squad who’ll be saying ‘hang on, I’ve worn it a few times, I can do it.’
“They’re all wonderful players, that’s the thing. You could see if Steve picked any of them, you could maybe understand why. It’s not like there’s one that fully stands out. Obviously, I’m a bit biased, I’ve known Marcus for years, I’ve said it for the whole time I think England should play Marcus at 10. But I still think there’s a role for both George and Fin in that squad.”
This competition for places is a double-edged sword, however. With competition comes a lack of security, and with a lack of security potentially comes fear and inhibition which may not potentially get the best of the players.
Care hopes that Borthwick lands upon his chosen 10 for this year’s Championship and gives them the “licence to thrill” without risk of repercussions, namely finding yourself on the bench or out of the squad entirely the following week.
“It’s hard because I do say it’s great to have that competition, but then when you’re in it you want to be backed by the coach that this is your shirt so don’t worry if you try a few things and it doesn’t quite work out,” he added.
“Unfortunately, international rugby is very unforgiving and in the Six Nations, if you lose a couple of games the tournament’s done. So I see the jeopardy that comes with picking your fly-half.
“But I do feel like if Steve is going to settle on one of the 10s – and hopefully is Marcus, he’s the one who’s worn the shirt the most recently – that he has got that license to thrill and license to back himself and play what he sees and there won’t be the repercussion that if one of them doesn’t work out, you’re not going to play next week.
“Hopefully we’ll see more attacking England this Six Nations and If we do, then the rest of the tournament should watch out.”
