Eddie Jones: Marcus Smith is a very good player – but he is not a full-back

Eddie Jones insists Marcus Smith is “not a full-back” and England must utilise the Harlequins talent at outside-half to get the best out of him.

England deployed Smith at full-back in during the World Cup in France, including their quarter-final victory over Fiji.

Smith was injured in the first half of that game and subsequently missed the semi-final defeat to South Africa, but England boss Steve Borthwick could opt to continue playing him there with skipper Owen Farrell and George Ford strong options at 10.

Former England boss Jones, who this week resigned from his post as Australia head coach, said: “Look at Richie Mo’unga (New Zealand outside-half), he is 29, experienced and he played a great World Cup.

“Marcus is 24, he has got a lot of learning to do, but unless he plays he never gets that learning.

“At some stage you have got to take a bit of pain if you play a guy like him. He is a good player, a very good player but he is not a full-back.

“That is up to Steve, but if you want to develop him as a player of course he has got to play 10.”

Jones led England to three Six Nations titles, including the Grand Slam in 2016, and to the final of the 2019 World Cup during his reign between 2015 and 2022.

The 63-year-old was appointed Australia head coach for a second time in January 2023, just one month after the Rugby Football Union sacked him for a poor run of results in which England had won just five of 12 Tests in 2022.

Asked at a Barbarians pre-match press conference, in which he will take joint charge of the invitation team against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, how far he could have taken England at the World Cup, Jones replied: “That’s not a question. That’s a dream.”

On England’s campaign, he added: “They were