Smith’s England woes mirror Harlequins’ sticky patch
You wonder what on earth must he be thinking these days.
It wasn’t so long ago that Marcus Smith – who turned 27 a week ago – seemed to have the world at his feet. A British Lion. A playmaker extraordinaire, making his presence felt for both club and country. A proven match-winner with the ability to come up with the unexpected.
Two years ago, he landed the last-minute drop goal that gave England a thrilling win over Ireland at the Allianz Stadium. This Six Nations sees him as a back-up that head coach Steve Borthwick does not seem to fully trust.
First he lost the coveted fly-half role to George Ford and Northampton namesake Fin Smith, then he was shifted out to full-back, where Freddie Steward’s arguably superior ability to deal with aerial balls saw him become even more of an afterthought.
On Saturday, Smith got on as a sub just as the first half was ending – replacing Steward, who had earlier collected a yellow card. Within moments, he had claimed an assist for England’s sole try in a first-half pasting which saw the hosts troop in at Twickenham 22-7 down.
Smith brought something to the party but not enough to change the course of a dismal afternoon for the hosts, who crumbled to a record 42-21 home defeat to the rampant Irish, who bagged five tries.
One image sums up a humiliating afternoon for Borthwick – Smith charging down the left wing but ultimately closed down by Stuart McCloskey, who bundled him into touch.
Might it have made a difference if Smith had been handed the playmaker role rather than Ford? He could hardly have done worse. Ford missed touch with two simple penalties early on which handed the Irish the initiative and killed hopes of building early momentum.
Saturday was the Harlequins player’s 48th cap and considering he has accumulated more than 300 points with his eye for a try and usually trusty kicking, it feels as if his country is paying the price for no longer making him a focal point of the starting XV.
In fairness, they had won 12 on the spin before the abject back-to-back reverses against Scotland and Ireland, which have scuppered their Six Nations title hopes. But you can’t help but wonder whether Smith should have been used more.
In many ways, Smith’s drop off in importance mirrors the slump in fortunes for his club. Quins are enduring a dreadful campaign which sees them near the foot of the table with two wins and eight defeats so far. Only Newcastle are below them.
And what of the bigger picture when it comes to international representation? Not so long ago there was always a glut of players from The Stoop involved in the England set-up. This weekend Smith was the only one.
That is as clear an indicator as any that the club which produced the legendary former record cap holder Jason Leonard and in more recent times Chris Robshaw and Danny Care, is going through a decidedly sticky patch.
