England ‘can’t bin’ Marcus Smith at No 15, says assistant coach Kevin Sinfield after converted full-back’s Six Nations struggles

England must not ‘bin’ the ploy of picking Marcus Smith as a second playmaker at full-back, according to the coach who first suggested the positional switch.

Before the last World Cup in 2023, Kevin Sinfield had the idea to move the Harlequins fly-half to give the national team an unorthodox, counter-attacking threat in the 15 shirt. 

Now, after some criticism of the 26-year-old’s two starts there in this Six Nations – with Fin Smith operating at 10 – Steve Borthwick’s assistant has argued that the national team should not abandon the experiment.

‘Look at how the game is played now and how valuable a second ball player can be,’ said Sinfield in York, where England are training this week. ‘Marcus’ big strengths are when he is in space. We know he can do it when it is tight and there are lots of bodies around, he is able to move laterally very, very quickly, so he puts defenders under a lot of stress.

‘So, clearly it makes sense to try and get him a little bit wider where the gaps tend to be bit bigger. It was never going to be an easy transition because he doesn’t play there for his club a lot.

‘He has not had a great deal of time there. We’ve all seen the reports about how he loves playing 10, he is an outstanding 10, but I think he is a very, very good 15 as well. Marcus would agree that some of his 15 play needs to improve. But if we threw it in the bin now, it would be a wasted opportunity.’

Asked if Marcus Smith can become better at full-back than he is at fly-half, Sinfield added: ‘I would like to think so. If we can get him into a position where he is world-class at both, it gives us so many different options. A second ball player is really important, with the make-up of the back line. He could end up being a third ball-player at some stage.’

England’s coaches face a diplomatic challenge as they seek to maintain positive morale among their competitive 10s, who are all jostling for the chance to run the show. 

Both Smiths want to lead the attack, as does George Ford – who is currently unable to claim a place in the match-day 23, despite being two caps away from a Test century, after a majestic performance on his last Test appearance in France last March.

‘It’s funny because all three of them are that driven that none of them are happy,’ said Sinfield. ‘Fin wants to improve his game. He’s started the last two, but he wants to be better and have more of an influence in there.

‘I would probably play down Marcus’s massive drive to play 10. I think he understands his role; what he’s done for the last two weeks and how important he’s been for us. George has been exemplary. You get better at it with age, although I think it stings more, the older you get. He’s been awesome.’