Marcus Smith has been ruled out of England’s Six Nations opener against Italy on Saturday, paving the way for namesake Fin to make his debut in Rome. The Harlequins outhalf sustained a calf injury at England’s training camp in Girona and an initial scan has ruled him out of contention for the weekend’s opening round.
It is a bitter blow for Marcus Smith, who was believed to be in strong contention for the number 10 jersey in Rome, and for Steve Borthwick who is waiting on further information to discover how long he will be sidelined. He must also be considered a serious doubt for England’s second match at home to Wales on Saturday week.
Borthwick has already lost Ollie Lawrence and Luke Cowan-Dickie since naming his squad while George Martin, Manu Tuilagi, Anthony Watson, Jack van Poortvliet and Tom Curry are also injured.
“[Marcus] won’t make this weekend sadly,” said the assistant coach, Kevin Sinfield. “It is a calf injury. We got the scan report through but we are waiting to understand exactly what that means for us moving forward. He’s not fit for this weekend. At the minute, we’re waiting for a second opinion on the scan. We will know more then.”
In his absence, George Ford and Fin Smith are the contenders for the number 10 jersey. Ford offers experience to what will be a much changed line-up to the World Cup but the Northampton player is the form outhalf in the country and is earning rave reviews from England’s coaching staff. Whether from the start or as a replacement, he is now in line for an international debut on Saturday.
“[Marcus is] a big loss,” added Sinfield. “He’s an outstanding guy who I have absolutely loved working with and I have got a really good connection with. But what that does is provide opportunities for others. We have said it since I have been working with England that we are blessed with the 10s that we have got.
“Fin Smith’s been in camp before, his form has been outstanding for Northampton and he has trained great too. Without giving too much away, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out where that might leave us. We have got Fin and George who has got 91 caps I think, so he has got that experience, and a young gun who has been in top, top form. We’re still in a very, very good position.”
Marcus Smith suffered his injury on Monday and was later seen on crutches at England’s team base. Borthwick is yet to determine whether a replacement will be summoned but the 24-year-old has nonetheless been denied the chance to launch what is a new chapter for England.
“[It was] just in training, the early part of the session. Just one of those things,” said Sinfield. “The boys have had two days off [for] recovery and Marcus being the bundle of energy that he is was doing his thing. Unfortunately these things happen. We are gutted for him because he’s been amazing to work with and we hope it will not be too long.
“I am not sure on the logistics. I think some of it will depend on what the second opinion says. It would be great if we could keep him with us. I think with all our 9s and 10s, the more time they get to spend together, the more those friendships and relationships continue to build. That’s really important off the field as it is on the field. It would be great if he stays.” – Guardian
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