England v France – Key Battle: Fly Half
Marcus Smith v Romain Ntamack
Marcus Smith will make his return to the England fly half spot, just a week after he was entirely dropped from Steve Borthwick’s training squad.
Borthwick wanted Smith to ‘boss a game’, and get valuable playing minutes under his belt at Harlequins, after playing for just 14 seconds for England against Wales. Smith did just that with a ‘Player of the Match’ performance against Exeter Chiefs, leading his side to a landslide 40-5 victory in ‘Big Game 14’.
Smith has great expectations, as Owen Farrell has been dropped to the bench and loses the captaincy against France. The Saracen was underwhelming against Wales, with a poor showing from the kicking tee highlighting his sub-par performance.
Smith has a golden opportunity to re-assert himself into the England squad, with a performance that Borthwick simply cannot overlook. France fly half Romain Ntamack is in a similar position to Smith, as he is used to the presence of Matthieu Jalibert breathing down his neck for the number 10 jersey.
However, Jalibert will miss the match against England after suffering an ankle injury on Wednesday. Ntamack now has breathing space to express himself, without the fear of being replaced by the Bordeaux-Begles playmaker.
Two of the world’s best fly halves line up against each other with points to prove. It is lining up to be a compelling contest, as Smith and Ntamack take the reigns for their nations. Two players with the proven ability to tear trhough a defence, be that by run, pass or kick, sets the stage at Twickenham for a thrilling contest.