England face an anxious wait to discover if fly-half Marcus Smith will recover in time to face South Africa in the World Cup semi-final on Saturday. Smith returned to training on Tuesday but was only involved in modified drills away from the main group after being battered and bruised playing at fullback against Fiji last weekend.
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Marcus Smith
The Harlequins playmaker started at 15 against Fiji and showed immense courage withstanding brutal punishment in defense. England assistant coach Kevin Sinfield expressed confidence Smith would be available against the Springboks if selected, and paid glowing tribute to his gallantry: «We’d all agree Marcus is a world-class fly-half, but last weekend he proved himself a world-class fullback too. When you consider he’s only played around 120 minutes at 15 for England, what he’s done in training has been outstanding. Any doubts about his bravery and courage were erased – he got smashed in the face and threw himself into tackle after tackle. The whole squad admires how he’s gone about it».
Freddie Steward
It’s widely assumed Freddie Steward would return at fullback due to his aerial prowess, which will be vital against South Africa’s kicking game. But Sinfield’s comments leave the door open for Smith to retain the 15 jersey. Sinfield noticeably spent extra time working with Steward at the start of training, after the shock of being dropped.
Keeping the Springboks guessing over their fullback selection aids England’s cause. «Steve selects teams he feels give us the best chance of winning. Just because Fred didn’t play last week doesn’t mean he’d done anything wrong, he’s done many great things. But the coaches felt Marcus was the right option for that specific game», – Sinfield said.
Coach’s words
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus also couldn’t decide whether Smith or Steward would start at fullback when predicting England’s line-up on Tuesday: «Marcus brings massive x-factor while Freddie is unbelievable under the high ball. Will Owen Farrell play inside center with Manu Tuilagi outside him or will George Ford play fly-half and go for drop goals»?
Sinfield followed his praise of Smith’s resilience with admiration for Steward’s professional response: «Clearly Fred is disappointed like anyone would be to miss a World Cup quarter-final, but he’s responded as we expected – he’s a great lad».
Head coach Steve Borthwick is yet to name an unchanged England XV in his tenure and seems set to continue his horses-for-courses selection policy.
Borthwick’s assistant hinted more changes could come, saying: «Our team has changed every single game throughout this World Cup campaign. Steve is very specific – when he selects the 23, he does it believing it gives us the best chance of winning that particular match».
The debate over England’s fullback epitomizes Borthwick’s meticulous preparation and eye for detail. Keeping South Africa guessing displays the attention to marginal gains that could prove pivotal in reaching the World Cup final.
