#2. Marcus Smith for Owen Farrell
- Position: Fly-half
- Replaces: Owen Farrell
WOODWARD SAID: “Smith has the ability to terrify defences and is currently the best goal-kicker in world rugby.
“This young man is very special — a blazing talent blessed with confidence and X factor — and should have been starting for England throughout the Six Nations, as I wrote last autumn.
“He always takes the ball on the move, plays with his head up and possesses the full range of passes but with the feet and conviction to go it alone when it feels right. He absorbs attention and you can see defenders ball-watching when he is in possession which opens up opportunities and space for others.
“Having such a player in a key position is infectious, the kind of energy England have so lacked recently.”
DID YOU KNOW? Smith picked up the game of rugby union at the age of seven with Centaurs RFC when his family moved to Singapore from the Philippines