'Marcus is not the answer... I don't think he's got what it takes'

Steve Borthwick inherited many problems when he replaced Eddie Jones as England’s head coach in 2022, but the defect that probably stood out most of all was their faltering attack.

The current boss has done little to catalyse a sea change in this department, but has been quick to point out that it is the area that takes the longest to develop and he has prioritised addressing other concerning parts of England’s game, which is becoming increasingly well documented.

Plenty of answers have been thrown Borthwick’s way over the past year on how to solve this problem, but the solution that has frequently been suggested since Jones’ era is to start Harlequins No10 Marcus Smith consistently. Former South Africa centre Robbie Fleck is not convinced though.

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Former Springbok centre and Stormers coach Robbie Fleck says Ireland don’t have quality opposition in this year’s disappointing Six Nations. Watch the full show on RugbyPass TV

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Robbie Fleck on this year’s “disappointing” Six Nations | RPTV

Former Springbok centre and Stormers coach Robbie Fleck says Ireland don’t have quality opposition in this year’s disappointing Six Nations. Watch the full show on RugbyPass TV

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The 25-year-old has recovered from the calf injury that kept him out of the opening three rounds of the Guinness Six Nations to take his place on the bench against Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday.

With Owen Farrell out of the Test picture for the time being, this was initially seen as the Six Nations where Smith could take hold of the No10 jersey having rarely been given the opportunity under Borthwick. Save for the opening 20 minutes against Scotland, Smith would have watched England’s listless attack splutter for the first three matches and been frothing at the mouth in desperation to play.

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However, speaking of RPTV’s Boks Office recently, the 31-cap Springbok said he does not believe the Harlequin has what it takes to unlock elite Test defences, unlike a player like Scotland’s Finn Russell.

This is a bold claim, particularly as the 30-cap fly-half has spent much of his Test career so far behind Farrell and George Ford, as well as playing alongside an assortment of centres.

The simple response to this view is to hand Smith a run of games in the starting XV. He has been robbed of that this Six Nations, and had to settle for being fashioned into a fullback during the World Cup, but will perhaps have the opportunity in New Zealand in July to test himself against one of the world’s best and prove Fleck right or wrong.

“I don’t think he’s the answer, to be honest,” the South African said.

“A great club player and against lesser Test sides, he will always open them up. But if you’re marking yourself against the best, which is the Boks and Irish defence systems, I don’t think he can unlock them.

“I think he’s too erratic, he will try the miracle stuff which may come off but in terms of a general game management point of view, I don’t think he’s got what it takes to deliver the killer blow against those top sides.

“The one guy I do think can do that is Finn Russell. He’s proven it time and time again. But Marcus is not the answer for me.”

Whether Fleck believes Smith is not the answer for England altogether or not the answer under this current set-up and mindset is not necessarily clear, but his compatriot Schalk Burger suggested it is the current England regime that lets Smith down, saying he would thrive in a team like Scotland.

The flanker said: “If Marcus Smith was playing for Scotland, where they’ve got a different mindset where they attack- like Duhan van der Merwe’s third try is exactly that. Turnover ball, Finn probably the worst kick of his life gets charged down, somehow lands in a Scottish hand, gets over the gainline, the very next touch is a cross-kick again.

“He’s not afraid of making mistakes. And I think this English side, because they’re not playing the amount of rugby that Scotland would want to play, if you make a mistake it gets amplified and I don’t think that suits him.

“Whereas at Harlequins, he can play.”