Steve Borthwick has tasked Marcus Smith with changing the game from full-back after dropping Freddie Steward from his match-day squad to face France on Saturday. Marcus Smith, fly-half for last weekend’s loss in Ireland, will start in the England No 15 jersey for the first time since the 2023 World Cup play-off victory over Argentina, with Fin Smith replacing his namesake at No 10. The Northampton playmaker will make his first Test start for England, having won his seven previous caps off the bench, including the final stages of the 27-22 loss in Dublin.
But Borthwick has opted to dispose of Steward’s dependability in favour of Marcus Smith’s “game-changing” abilities at full-back, employed to counter the unique style of France’s long kicking game. After a Wednesday-night pep talk, Borthwick said that the Harlequin was “tremendously excited” for Saturday’s clash at Twickenham. “I think he is a game-changer,” Borthwick said. “He’s a player who can do things very few in the world can do. And I want him to bring all those natural instincts [to] an England shirt. Whether he starts with No 10 or No 15 on his back, nothing changes. I want those natural instincts on the pitch. He sees space that others don’t. He has an ability to find gaps in defences that most people don’t know are there. That’s exactly what I want him to bring this weekend.
“I was chatting with Marcus [on Wednesday night] and he was tremendously excited about Saturday. Those were his words. He was excited about the feeling of playing with Fin Smith. We trained on Tuesday and then reviewed that session, what they did together. He was feeling exhilarated about the opportunities of those two ball-players and the space they could find. Then the tactical battle that we face with France. France are a brilliantly smart tactical team, so one of the challenges both Fin and Marcus have is ensuring that we get on top of that battle.
“Fin’s kicking game is very, very accurate. Early this season, we had Fin at 30 tackles in a game for Northampton. It tells you a lot about his personality – he’s tough, he’s brave. When players see a fly-half willing to defend like that, they have immense respect for him. So we can talk all about those different skill sets, which he certainly has, he’s an elite player, but he’s also a very tough, brave young man.”.
As revealed by Telegraph Sport, Ollie Sleightholme has come in for Cadan Murley on the wing and Tom Willis, also winning a first Test start, will be at No 8 in a back row that also includes Tom Curry and Ben Earl, the latter of whom slides to the openside, with Ben Curry dropping to the bench. The tight five, scrum-half and centres are unchanged from Dublin, with the midfield combination starting a 12th successive Test together.
Borthwick has opted for experience among the replacements who once again comprise six forwards and two backs, with former captain Jamie George recovering from a hamstring problem to win a 98th cap. The hooker, who comes in for Theo Dan, has been appointed as one of two vice-captains with Ellis Genge. Alongside George and Ben Curry, Fin Baxter, Joe Heyes, Ollie Chessum and Chandler Cunningham-South will provide forward cover.
Elliot Daly, set for a 70th cap, will provide back-line cover alongside Harry Randall. Daly, 32, has not represented England since starting on the left wing in the thrilling defeat by France in Lyon last year. “There are changes within the 23 but minimal changes from outside the 23, which I think is important to recognise,” said Borthwick. “These players, I want them to play together a lot. I’m not saying there aren’t opportunities for others, but I want the players to get used to playing with each other much more often.
“I thought Ben [Curry] played really well, and my conversation was: ‘You did everything I asked of you, I thought you played really well’. What I felt was, in the second half last Saturday, that we needed more running on the pitch. We had a number of players off the bench with great skill sets. My feeling is with Ben Curry on the bench for this game, to come on at some point and add that intensity of work rate, movement, jackal pressure, as well as link play.”.
France arrive at Twickenham on the back of a thumping victory over Wales on the opening night of the championship, having inflicted England’s heaviest home defeat the last time they were on English soil, in 2023. France’s starting back line comprises players solely from Toulouse and Bordeaux, two clubs flying high in the Top 14 and both of which have laid waste to English sides in this season’s Champions Cup.
“We’ve all seen it,” Borthwick said. “The clubs have plenty of experience playing against the French clubs over the last period and there’s been one or two tough experiences. That’s something we’ve acknowledged, and are ensuring that the players have learnt from those experiences. “We aim to go and play. We know there’s a physical challenge on Saturday, and there’s also a great tactical challenge. We’re setting the team up to play tactically the way we want them to, to be physically ready, and then the third thing – and I’ll say this very clearly – I want the players to go and attack.”.
