Nick Evans knows what 'it feels like' for benched Marcus Smith
Marcus Smith has been told he has a “very important” role to play from the England bench in their Guinness Six Nations clash with Wales in Cardiff.
Fly-half Smith started the Championship opener against Scotland, but joined the replacements for the Twickenham victory over Italy as Owen Farrell was switched from 12 to 10 and Steve Borthwick claimed his first win as England boss.
“Marcus has been brilliant and every player on the bench has got a very important role to play,” said former New Zealand outside-half Nick Evans, who worked closely with Smith at Harlequins before joining the England set-up for the 2023 Six Nations.
“I was sat behind a pretty good player a lot of times in Dan Carter. I know what it feels like to be in that position, so I am able to give them advice.
“Are you just watching the game or actually seeing what’s happening on the field?
“We have a real clear communication pathway to Marcus and what’s expected of him when he comes on.
“His role will be different at times, because it’s different to when you’re starting or you’re on the bench, but he will have a big impact.
“We’re not asking him to go out and be Owen, we’re asking him to go out there and be Marcus Smith.”
On Friday, Evans was back in the dressing room at the Principality Stadium for the first time since France shocked New Zealand at a 2007 World Cup quarter-final.
Evans said the memories came flooding back as he looked around, recalling “that’s where I was sitting, in the quietest changing room in the world”.
But he said his focus this week has been getting the best out of an England midfield set to come up against a new Wales centre partnership featuring Joe Hawkins and the 6ft 5in Mason Grady, the 20-year-old Cardiff powerhouse who will be making his international debut.
“He’s a big boy,” said Evans. “But we’ve done our research and look at how they operate.
“It’s a good challenge for us, to keep us on our toes, but the focus is on what we can do.
“Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade have had a game under their belt. Ollie deserved his man of the match (against Italy) and gives us a real focal point.
“We asked that of him, to bring his strengths and what he’s been doing at Bath into the game.
“Sladey’s a brilliant tactician and that ball player out in the centre we’ve seen for Exeter and in the England jersey before. We’ve had another week with that combination and we’re looking forward to developing it.”
The build-up to the Cardiff clash has been dominated by the crisis engulfing Welsh rugby and the threatened player strike that put the game in jeopardy.
Wales players eventually struck a peace deal with the game’s powerbrokers on Wednesday evening to allow the contest to go ahead.
Evans said: “I sympathise with them a lot, that uncertainty around those players. Being on the other side as a player you want that certainty.
“But we know that any player who puts the Welsh jersey on will play with pride, representing the country with an immense amount of intensity.”
Comments on RugbyPass
anybody who bends at the waist when they tackle
3 Go to commentsThe evidence is not strong that this is necessary. Mounga choked on clutch kicks in the WRC final and lost the match by not performing his core goal kicking role to the level required. He also choked in the Semi final against England and was targeted as the weak point in the defence allowing them to score. Not a test great frankly. Why bend the rules for a player that is competent but not brilliant at test level?
11 Go to commentsDear Robbie, Please return to the Crusaders next season. Sincerely, Scott
1 Go to commentsDid the big E call the Irish the ‘White Can’ts’? That would’ve been good
32 Go to commentsDalton Papalii will be lucky to be selected on the Matchday 23. Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson, and Peter Lauki are all as good or better openside flankers
9 Go to commentsScott Barrett is a lock and they have a much longer shelf life than a loose forward. Far more likely that Barrett will still demand a starting position based on performance at age 33 at RWC 2027 than Savea, whose explosive athleticism will have declined and he will in all likelihood have been surpassed by Hoskins Sotutu, Wallace Siti, Peter Lauki and Brayden Iose.
9 Go to commentsExtremely frustrating to get yet more speculation over whether or not Eben actually counted 12 players or not, but honestly big respect to McCloskey for keeping it classy and not pointing out Etzebeth’s hypocrisy. The Irish are a popular team outside of Ireland because they do their talking on the pitch, and its honestly a PR masterclass that they’re keeping it that way following Etzebeth’s provocation.
32 Go to commentsGood option for the lineout lost there.
1 Go to commentsIt’s not like Saffas have a long history of spouting absolute shite at any & every occasion. Oh wait… The dangers of an inferior third world education strike again.
32 Go to commentsI’m so glad we’re revisiting this. Really needs to be dissected further. I’m also so glad that a guy in the stands who wasn’t anywhere near the field when any of it would have been said (and even confirms this) has taken the lead and commented as Ireland. Definitely cleared it all up. This article would be hilarious if it wasn’t so misleading.
32 Go to commentsits such a shame he hasn’t achieved more success at club level. He’s really not been a potent finisher for a while now, but he’s still excellent in the kick chase. That’s the kind of skillset that generally only gets appreciated when you’re playing in premiership and european finals. I’m not sure whether the challenge cup counts given the quality of the competition seems lower than in previous years, but his duel with Mapimpi should be enthralling.
1 Go to commentsThe point is the irish players were arrogant,call it like you want sugar coat it aswell but they were you could see it in their way they handeled themselfs on the field when they got something right so dont tell me it was not arrogance it was,you can fool other people but not me,and to say to one of our players see you in the final put a nail in the coffin for this bullsh@t,just be grown men and accept it that you were arrogant,you could if seen it from a mile away, and then you lost to the allblacks what a cocky move that didnt work out for you ,Eben was right when he said u were arrogant,the point is you will deny it because you lost it all just grow some balls and move on we had won you lost accept it.
32 Go to comments“summer tour of North and South America” so its a summer tour of america?
1 Go to commentsEverybody is giving the Irish players the benefit of the doubt in ‘what they meant’, but none of these pundits or commentators offer the same courtesy to Eben. I don’t think Eben went, 1, 2, 3… etc. What might have happened is he didn’t count and when the 3rd or 5th guy said he went, hang on why are so many of them saying this… and then started to concentrate on it more and more as players continue to say it. So no, he didn’t count it, he realised many Irish players said it and made an assumption based on that… The Irish team was VERY confident at the time and I do believe they believed they were going to win the World Cup, which borders a bit on the arrogant side…
32 Go to commentsI can see how some of the Irish players would have said”see you in the final” as a gentle comment after a victory. It’s open to interpretation but it’s clumsy language. I don’t know the fella but I assure you Eben doesn’t have an axe to grind with Ireland. He has never been the media seeking pro. Oh and BTW it is I’ll be our winter in July so won’t be wet.
32 Go to comments*McCloskey*: _I saw this clip. Like, I wasn’t playing that game; I was in the stands…so you don't know sh!t in other words, infact you know just as much as Goode on this matter. I will believe the guy who was on the pitch when things were said as appose to two people speculating over what was said._
32 Go to comments@ turlough dream on buddy. Your boys are in for one tough time down in sa this summer…
32 Go to commentsI think Goode is looking to establish a platform for himself. Eben said “Probably” so that suggests he wasn’t counting. It’s an estimate Goode. I think even with your short and uneventful experience with the Sharks you probably realise winding up Saffas will get you some airtime. It’s a none event. Move on
32 Go to commentsRugby has never been as structured and synthetically pleasing as it is at this moment. The game is simply beautiful and messing with it too much will ruin it for everyone. I can't help but feel that over the past decade or so many rules have been changed to accommodate a certain hemisphere and counter another. Perhaps I am wrong but I somehow don’t think so.
2 Go to commentsNoted some excellent defensive steals from the Rebs last week against the Reds, largely J Canham, I think. It’s not a Rolls Royce but they are a real threat with their defensive line out at the beginning matches. What do you make of Canham Nick, WBs squad material?
86 Go to comments