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.
“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.”.
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.
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.
Asked about England’s poor recent record in the fixture, Borthwick, whose reign began with a 29-23 defeat to Scotland in 2023, said: “Everyone is aware of it but this is a different group.
