England boss Steve Borthwick has backed “world-class goal-kicker” Marcus Smith to rediscover his aim from the tee during Saturday’s crunch Calcutta Cup showdown with Scotland.
Having been shifted from fly-half to full-back to accommodate Fin Smith for the round-two clash with France, 26-year-old Marcus Smith wastefully skewed a conversion and a penalty during a 10-minute spell in the second half.
Fin Smith then capped a standout first Test start by taking over duties and crucially adding the extras to tries from Fin Baxter and Elliot Daly to secure a thrilling 26-25 success which kept England in the hunt for the Guinness Six Nations title.
Borthwick, whose defence coach Kevin Sinfield instructed the in-game switch, confirmed the responsibility will revert to Marcus Smith at Allianz Stadium this weekend.
“He’s a world-class goal-kicker; we all know that, so it’s very simple,” said Borthwick.
Harlequins playmaker Smith will have another run in the unfamiliar 15 position, where he enjoyed mixed fortunes against Les Bleus, after lock Ollie Chessum replaced George Martin in the only change to Borthwick’s starting XV.
“Listen, Marcus is a game-changer; Marcus is a player with incredible ability,” said Borthwick.
“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 front-line and in the back-field, and that’s going to be very important this weekend.”
Calcutta Cup ready
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