Coach Richard Wigglesworth insists that Marcus Smith is a “viable” option to start at full-back for England following his impressive display against Chile on Saturday.
The Red Rose currently have three outstanding options at fly-half, with George Ford and captain Owen Farrell being preferred so far in this tournament.
Smith has emerged in the full-back role, however, having been trialled there in the World Cup warm-ups and also during the latter stages of the Japan encounter.
Started on Saturday
Steve Borthwick then handed him a start against Chile and the 24-year-old impressed in the 71-0 demolition.
Freddie Steward has been the first choice England 15 over the past two years, but Wigglesworth believes that Smith could usurp him.
“Marcus has given us food for thought at full-back throughout pre-season because that’s the standard he operates at,” Wigglesworth said.
“It was a bigger talking point than we felt it was because we just see a great rugby player there. We were really impressed by him against Chile.
“We all thought it was coming before the game and were really confident that he was going to produce that sort of performance. He looked great, didn’t he?
“He’s definitely a viable option (to start) because he’s a top, top international, so when you have that level of ability like he’s got, executing the way he is, then he’s always a viable option.”
Smith’s preferred position is at fly-half but Wigglesworth praised the approach of the playmaker, who has relished his chance at full-back.
“Marcus is a fly-half who can play full-back and what’s so impressive about him is that he has just ripped into that role,” he said.
“He gets training time at both, but he’s ripped into this like, ‘I want to get a shot, I want to have an impact at a World Cup’. And what an attitude for someone to have.
“There hasn’t been a hint of, ‘Oh, this isn’t quite my preferred position or the one that I’ve played and played very successfully for my whole career’.
“He’s not done that, he has just gone, ‘Let me make an impact on this team, on the players around me’. And he has been first class.”
Core full-back skills
The question for the England coaches going forward will be whether Smith’s understanding of the position will be good enough when it comes to big knockout matches.
“We’ve let Marcus do it the Marcus way because, from the first moment he has done it, he has looked pretty comfortable there,” Wigglesworth added.
“He’s done extra high-ball work and understanding the backfield roles in that, and he’s really grabbed that.
“He’s a smart, smart rugby player, so he retains that information and then commands other people around him straight away.
“He’s grabbed it himself and we want Marcus Smith to look like Marcus Smith at full-back, no one else.”
READ MORE: England player ratings: Historic Henry Arundell gets top marks in Chile rout
The article England reveal Marcus Smith’s position moving forward in the Rugby World Cup appeared first on Planetrugby.com.
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