Sonny Bill Williams weighs in on Marcus Smith debate and his 'mistake' against Scotland
Former All Black Sonny Bill Williams has thrown his support behind England flyhalf Marcus Smith saying ‘he’s the guy’ you want with the ball in his hands.
England’s 10-12 partnership with Smith and Owen Farrell has sparked debate again after Steve Borthwick’s side lost to Scotland 29-23 in the opening game of the Guinness Six Nations.
A pivotal moment in the Test came with England leading 20-19 and in position hot on attack inside Scotland’s 22. With Smith identifying a chance, Farrell switched play back to the short side to give the No 10 the ball.
Smith ended up with a two-on-two and took the outside of his defender, looking to get the second man interested but was shadowed over the sideline by a handy defensive play by Sione Tuipulotu.
Prominent Twitter user AP Rugby offered a critique of the situation saying ‘there was nothing on’ and that Smith is guilty of overplaying his hand at times.
“Marcus Smith had some really nice touches yesterday but tends to overplay his hand a bit. What works at club level doesn’t always come off at Test level,” he wrote.
“He’s calling for the ball here and Farrell obliges, but there’s nothing on.”
Ex-All Black Williams weighed in with his own view of the play and backed Smith to trust his instincts as he is the danger man deserving of the ball in those situations.
If Smith had gone inside his man with a left foot step he may scored with a prop required to cover.
“I have endured too many coaches with mindsets like yours (mistake means wrong option),” Williams wrote.
I disagree! He saw a 1v1 opportunity and backed himself, this close to the try line he’s the guy want with ball in hand!
Experience will teach him to use that left foot also 😂
Point is, I have endured too many coaches with mindsets like yours (mistake means wrong option) https://t.co/8LpsfwbDNe
— Sonny Bill Williams (@SonnyBWilliams) February 6, 2023
Certainly not saying he scores but he’s created a 2-2 opportunity 10m out from the line. Steps off his left here and the inside chasing defender, a prop none the less is having to make a covering tackle. Nothing wrong with the call to go that way, but poor execution. pic.twitter.com/H0kVSeOL1k
— Dan Mugford (@DanMugford10) February 5, 2023
After nine Tests together, doubts persist over whether the partnership is clicking for England.
Many are of the belief that Owen Farrell is better suited as a flyhalf instead of as a No 12.
Former England flyhalf Andy Goode called for Steve Borthwick to ditch the 10-12 axis in his latest column for RugbyPass.
With Henry Slade returning to the squad changes could be made for England’s clash against Italy, with the versatile back covering at inside centre last year under Jones.
“Henry Arundell and Henry Slade both return to the squad following injuries,” reads an RFU statement this evening.
“Borthwick’s side have reconvened at the Honda England Rugby Performance Centre at Pennyhill Park, Bagshot as they prepare for Sunday’s game at Twickenham Stadium (3pm KO).”
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments