Music fans of the 1980s will know that when the Smith were together, they could play a little, but they were not the most stimulating combination. The successes include what difference does it do? And is it really so strange?
It is not clear if Steve Borthwick is not clear from the Manchester band, but it is unlikely. They were probably before their time, since the chief coach of England was born in 1979.
But now, on their watch, the national team will have its own Smiths set and hope is that they have everyone dancing with a more cheerful melody on Twickenham on Saturday.
Perhaps they will make a difference, and it will not be so strange for them to operate together in the meeting of the six nations with the title of the favorites France.
On Thursday, Borthwick will confirm his alignment for Le Crunch and that the sources have indicated to Mail Sport that End Smith will make his first beginning for England at 10, with Marcus Smith changing to make room for the 22 years of the Saints. -OL player.
The creative alliance has previously been used towards the end of the matches, but never from the beginning.
Steve Borthwick is ready to select End and Marcus Smith against France this weekend
England has lost seven of its last nine tests after the defeat on Saturday 27-22 by Ireland
The sources have indicated to Mail Sport that End Smith will make their first beginning for England at 10
It is daring and is risky. England strives to end a demoralizing series of bad results, after seven losses in its last nine tests, but the man in charge seems to have chosen to go bankrupt.
While the English rugby public has been losing faith with the current regime, they will surely admire this will to jump to the new selection territory, for such a large and dangerous occasion. It may not work, it can go wrong, but they will certainly not die wondering. Back to the wall, the chief coach is taking a game clearance.
There were rumors of this potential alliance of the Smiths weeks ago, but did not materialize for the championship opener in Dublin. Instead, Marcus stayed at 10 years old, where the seven previous internationals had begun, and ended up to wait for his time at the bank once again.
But England lost 27-22, to deepen the hole in which they are. That left Borthwick with an almighty and rotating dilemma.
Except for any training setback in the next few days, he has chosen to twist again, as he did two summers, when he adopted the possibility of sending half of Harlequins mercurial flies to the open field field spaces.
This is an intriguing decision for so many reasons, especially because it flies against the recent emphasis on stability.
England has been trying to establish attack cohesion and recognizing that the best means to achieve it is when establishing combinations. But after the last defeat, against the Irish, Borthwick hinted at the competitive need to choose equipment based on courses.
“There is always that balance and I will see what we need next week against France,” he said at the Aviva Stadium.
Borthwick has taken the aggressive movement and left against the recent approach to stability
Marcus Smith sees himself as a 10, but Borthwick has adapted to the challenge that France brings
'The way we are trying to attack, we can cause problems. France is a very good defensive team, it was clear on Friday (when they beat Wales 43-0). But we want to leave next weekend and challenge them. We want to play quickly. You can see that we have rhythm on those edges and we can write down attempts.
The rethinking is partly a reflection of a completely different tactical challenge this week. In summary, France kicks long, while Ireland kicks to compete in the air. What it means is that England needs less an imposing back with aerial skill, Freddie Steward, and more needs a threat of Deep counterattack, which is where Magic Marcus enters.
“We lost a couple of kicking and were expensive,” Borthwick said after the match against Ireland.
'Now France, the kick game is a different type of kick game. Today a contested battle was much more: next week it will be different with the way France plays. Tactically, we have to adjust and be adaptable there.
Marcus Smith can certainly work effectively as the last line of defense, as he has done for the club and the country. It began at full speed in the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Cup against Fiji, another game in which the opposition was less likely to jump against him to recover possession, and has marked exciting attempts and went crazy in that position for Harlequins This season.
But, and it is a significant, but, the player sees himself as a fly media and his national coach knows. “I think Marcus is a 10 that can play at age 15,” Borthwick said, after naming his six -nations team last month. 'That is a conversation that I had with Marcus and sees it in the same way. Its favorite position is 10, but it is incredibly dangerous in space. I started it with a 15 shirt for England and more recently I started it at 10, but I moved it 15 later in the games. Having that versatility is important, but it is a 10 that can play 15. '
Another subtram is the concern about the experience or lack of it. After his team had been eliminated by Ireland last Saturday, Borthwick repeatedly spoke about his relative shortage of limits, compared to that type of opponents.
Then, a solution was looking at the face: to remember George Ford, who has two caps to reach his hundred. However, Mail Sport understands that, on the other hand, End Smith will be backed to handle the baton and direct the show.
Borthwick will wait for his new combination to be worth it on Saturday in the midst of the growing pressure on his work
It is a demonstration of faith in a rising star of the English game. Since Worcester moved to Northampton when the Warriors broke, the young confrontation has been strengthened.
Its compound and imperative demonstration of control of great games to inspire a victory over Munster in Limerick last season convinced the Management of England that it was ready for the test. He repeated the feat last month with another winning contribution of the party when the Saints beat the same Irish province, at home this time.
The robust defense of an end also counts positively in its favor, since France prepares to unleash a powerful and hard side on Twickenham. A deck hit the Miles flank Reid recently resonated with Borthwick's observation.
However, it is not wrong, the young director is intended for a high -risk milestone in his career. There are certain parallels with this accessory two years ago, when Borthwick chose to leave Owen Farrell in the bank, so that he could measure Marcus Smith's ability to dictate terms without the captain looking at him over his shoulder. It was not planned, with England falling to a record defeat of 53-10.
“The context is very different,” said the chief coach, when asked in Dublin about a terrible experience that is still uncomfortably fresh in memory. He is ready to support his playing partner and ignore another uncomfortable omen.
The Smith launched other songs called Panic, Heaven knows that I'm miserable now and I know it's over. If this selection bet is faced, those titles may seem sadly relevant on Saturday night.