Marcus Smith continued to play against Fiji after suffering a facial injury. Photo: Getty Images/Adam Pretty
I thought Marcus Smith's experiment was completely finished. -It should have always been like this back. It's never going to be one-dimensional, is it? By the end of the win over Fiji, with his head bandaged, two cuts on his face and sides of his head, and a swollen and bloody lip, he could not be blamed for failing to put his body on the line. /p>
But he offers something new for England, and it's worth sticking with. Smith's late arrival at the break gives England the opportunity to attack wherever he sees gaps, making it very difficult for the defense to fill the gaps. There weren't many balls in Marseille on Sunday and he didn't have to face a lot of high balls, so Fiji allowed him to grow in the game — aside from his HIA.
It's an experiment worth taking because against South Africa in the semi-final he could break the line. Freddie Steward didn't do anything wrong, he's a good player, maybe he could play on the wing. But he doesn't have the same counter-attacking ability as Smith. It may be tough, but still, Steve Borthwick's job is to make tough decisions. That's why he paid the big money, that's why — and I applaud him for this — he stood his ground and called in the big games. He didn't put Farrell at number 12 or compromise on two playmakers (we had 50 bloody matches and it didn't work). So now stick with it.
I was a regular spectator at the match in Marseille and there was a really interesting dynamic going on with people criticizing Smith for playing poorly and applauding him for playing well. You can't judge this guy like that, it's how he sees a game that has potential. You can see with Smith that he can use the scoring line, he can make a difference. And when you reach the semi-finals, that will be the deciding factor. When you play teams like this that can defend for 30 phases without conceding a penalty or a try, then that little spark can make the difference.
England are by no means favorites to reach the semi-finals, but knockout rugby is very different and picking up points and making the most of the chances will be extremely important.
The merits of England's win over Fiji depend on whether you're an England fan or a supposed rugby fan. On the one hand, we can be very happy that England are the only Northern Hemisphere team in the last four, and quite unexpectedly. For 50 minutes England dominated and played well, following the plan they had been working on: set piece control. The dynamic has been good and Smith has adjusted to his new role as a fullback. The partnership at the center worked and Manu Tuilagi was as effective as he has been for the last two years.
England strikes first! ⚡️
Manu Tuilagi is aiming for his first England try in two years! 🌹#RWC2023 | #ENGvFIJ | @EnglandRugby pic.twitter.com/WgtxxexlMi
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) October 15, 2023
And yet, from a manager's point of view, how is it that England, who were in control at the break and had a healthy lead, ended up with a very nervous and creaky final 15 minutes as they held on? Can you imagine Ireland or New Zealand in that position against Fiji? Probably not.
England fans, not fans, will say: “We don't care because we're in the semi-finals”, and that makes sense.
The key to England's performance is that they were willing to take points when they were offered them. When you take a corner you are always applauded because you are seen as the attacking team, it seems ambitious and you are praised for your intentions. But ask yourself: if it takes 15 or 20 phases of the game to collapse a team and then not even score a single point, why wouldn't you take the chance to score three points when the only defense you have against yourself is to stand? 20 meters, maybe more, behind the goal line, where they are not allowed to move or attack you?
When you look at what England did against Fiji, I think they showed better game management than Ireland did against the All Blacks. Ireland backed themselves for a corner but did not get over the try line before they were stopped and went through 37 phases in a monumental stretch of the game without scoring.
Take the points offered.
People talk nonsense about how the game has changed. This is wrong. When you get to knockout rugby, the only thing that matters is who has the most points? So when points are offered, take them because you don't know when you'll get another opportunity to score. You don't know if hitting the corner will score you any points at all, but when you have the opportunity to hit the post for three points, take it. If Ireland had done the same thing as England, they would have been in a very different situation.
Of course, this was not a complete England performance. They still have a lot of work to do, but they reached the semi-finals, while other teams did not.
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