Who’s hot and who’s not: Marcus Smith, Wales’ centurions, Scotland, Toulouse and Italy
Marcus Smith: There’s been plenty said and written about the England fly-half in recent weeks and despite plenty of pressure on his shoulders, Smith has done well after two rounds of action in the Six Nations. The playmaker, who turns 23 today, impressed in England’s tournament opener against Scotland before inexplicably being replaced in the latter stages of that game. And without him on the field the Red Rose lost their way before suffering a 20-17 defeat. There was no chance of England head coach Eddie Jones repeating that mistake in their next match against Italy and Smith delivered an excellent all-round display during an 80-minute spell on the field. Smith shone on attack, gaining 148 metres from 12 runs which included seven offloads, a try assist and a 13-point contribution courtesy of a try and four conversions.
