Marcus Smith regains his place in England’s training squad as he edges out George Ford
Marcus Smith regains his place in the England training squad by beating George Ford… but captain Owen Farrell still looks set to stick with 10 for his team’s Six Nations clash with France despite his disappointing goal kick.
- Marcus Smith was released from the England training squad last week
- He impressed for Harlequins at the weekend and has been called up
- He still looks set to be sent to the bench against France on Saturday.
Marcus Smith has protected his endangered status as one of England’s chosen playmakers as the Harlequins’ number 10 was retained for the France game on Saturday while George Ford was released from the Red Rose camp.
Ford’s recovery from a long-term Achilles tendon injury and quick comeback seemed to jeopardize Smith’s prospects and that sense was reinforced when the youngest flyhalf was sent back to Quins to play last weekend. . But he shone in a big win over Exeter and that convinced national coach Steve Borthwick and his assistants in a close selection decision.
“We’re really impressed with the way Marcus played last week,” defensive coach Kevin Sinfield said. ‘He was outstanding. George has been wonderful, but he hasn’t been in the fold very long.
“We have no doubt that if he stayed, it would be great for us. But right now the best thing for him is to get minutes at Sale. When asked if he was around, Sinfield simply added: “Yes.”
England captain Owen Farrell is the favorite to take 10 against France, but he praised Smith for the way he reacted when he was sent off last weekend.
Marcus Smith is back in the England training squad for their match against France
Smith just got the nod on George Ford, and trainer Kevin Sinfield admitted he came close
Captain Owen Farrell is expected to start against France despite struggling with his kicks.
“He looked like he was having fun,” he said. ‘He played very well. You only had to watch the game to see how much fun he had and how much pep will be in his step coming to camp this week.
For Farrell, one of the main issues since the 20-10 win over Wales in Cardiff in England’s game has been fine-tuning his shot on goal. Throughout his career, he’s been renowned for his consistent accuracy off the tee, but in this Six Nations he’s only landed seven of his 15 shots on target, so he’s been doing some recovery work behind the scenes with Jonny Wilkinson.
“Half of it is overthinking,” Farrell said. ‘Obviously I know how to kick. I’ve hit a few where I’ve missed, but been happy with the way I’ve hit them, and I’ve hit a few where I’ve been wrong. It’s trying not to think about others too much, trying not to fix everything and just kicking the ball back to the best of my ability this week.
“It’s about taking the big picture, so you don’t get too hung up on the little things, which is probably what I’ve been doing. But I’ve been in this situation before and I’m sure I’ll do it again at some point, so I make sure I get back to enjoying my kicks.’
Asked if he had been displaying the kind of obsessive streak for which Wilkinson was so famous, Farrell added: “Probably yes and no.” I don’t know to what extent, but you go through different phases. Like I say, I know how to kick a ball. I’m just going to try to free myself to do that.’
Sinfield is convinced that the skipper can correct the problem and re-emerge as a sharpshooter, saying: “He’s working incredibly hard.” It’s an area of his game that he’s very proud of and he’s had incredible success over a long, long period of time.
It has been a problem for him, he will work his way up and we will support him in any way we can.
He works closely with Jonny and we also have Nick (Evans), who was a great kicker in his own right, on the coaching staff. We’re all still working with Owen, but when you’re a guy his stature and have so many caps under your belt, you know what you need. It won’t be long before he’s back to his best.