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England explain why Marcus Smith is set for extended full-back role
By PA
Marcus Smith looks set for an extended stay as England’s full-back, with skills coach Kevin Sinfield claiming it would be “a wasted opportunity” to turn back now. After eight Tests in a row at fly-half, Smith was switched to number 15 for the Guinness Six Nations games against France and Scotland – both of which ended in dramatic one-point victories.
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England have plenty of options in their back line, but Sinfield has suggested that Steve Borthwick’s management team are ready to double down on the idea of utilising the Harlequins playmaker in his secondary role while backing Fin Smith in the 10 shirt.
With outings against struggling Italy and Wales up next for England, there are hopes that the duo could spark to life and express themselves in a more elaborate fashion than they have managed in their last two, hard-fought clashes.
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“It was never going to be an easy transition because he doesn’t play there for his club a lot. We have all seen the reports how he loves playing 10, he is an outstanding 10 but he is a very, very good 15 as well,” said Sinfield.
“I would probably play down Marcus’s massive drive to play 10. He understands his role; what he has done for the last two weeks and how important he has been for us. Marcus’ big strengths are when he is in space, so clearly it makes sense to try and get him a little bit wider where the gaps tend to be a little bit bigger.
“He has not had a great deal of time there, not had a massive amount of minutes. Some of his 10 play and his 15 play needs to improve. If we all looked at the game from the weekend there will be some bits that are not as good as we could be, but if we throw it in the bin now it will be a wasted opportunity.
“If we could get him into a position where he is world class at both (positions), it gives us some options. A second ball player is really important with the make up in the back line.”
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Sinfield was speaking at York’s LNER Community Stadium, where the team will hold an open training session in front of an expected crowd of more than 7,000 on Friday. It is a rare chance for England to get on the road and connect with fans beyond the capital, and one that Leeds Rhinos stalwart Sinfield applauds.
“Clearly we are in rugby league territory but there is a massive appetite for England to do well,” he said. “It’s important that different communities see us and understand that we represent them too. There is a number of the playing group from up north and this isn’t just about London and what we do down there. This is about representing the country properly and in the right way, so it’s great to be here.
“I love playing at the Allianz, I love the feel of the big stadium and being there… (but) to have a game somewhere up north would be fantastic. We are representative of everybody across England, not just London. If we want more boys and girls to pick up a ball across the country, we have to do a bit of this.”
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I love Marcus, he’s great but its pointless having him on the pitch if the team tactics from boring Borthwick are going to be 1 or 2 phases and box kick.
Utterly pointless. In fact, a liability. If you aren't going to pass him the ball, might as well have Steward or Daly. Borthwick isn't even picking the right players to implement his own awful strategy.
It's super weird how he picks ball players like Randall, Smith, Slade and then just box kicks incessantly. It's like he realises the importance of being able to create and he's so conservative that he genuinely thinks what England are doing now is an expansive gameplan which is getting the most out of these guys…