It appears that Marcus Smith has been struggling in the game against France at Twickenham, and the fans seem to have already turned on the number 10.
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Following much celebration when the Harlequins man replaced Owen Farrell in the starting XV, social media commenters have very much changed their minds quickly.
With Steve Borthwick’s men 27-3 down against Les Bleus at the break, some fans patience has run out already.
Things were made even worse when France flanker Charles Ollivon bulldozed over the top of Smith to score the French’s third try just before the break.
One fan wrote: “Well England are dog shit what the hell is this. Marcus Smith off please.”
A second commented:”Is Ben Kay on a bonus for every time he says Marcus Smith,”
Another said: “Maybe this will come back to bite me but I don’t get Marcus Smith. What was that kick then meant to be? Flat track bully but I don’t think he has it for this level.”
“Get Marcus Smith off and switch Farrell to fly half,” commented a fourth.
A fifth added: “Marcus Smith is not a test match player. I’ll keep saying this. Keep him at club level and let him flourish there.”
Another wrote: “Marcus Smith is sooooo overrated. He’s a good prem level player, but nothing special at international.”
“Is there anyone still on the Marcus Smith bandwagon?,” said another.
A different supporter commented: “I say this time and time again, teams facing Marcus Smith are twice as excited about facing his defence as they are worried about facing his attack. The least dominant 10 out there. But it’s not his fault – he’s not that player, but it’s a major weakness”
“The Marcus Smith selection is working out well anyway…” said another.
A tenth wrote harshly: “Looking for all those fans that said Marcus Smith would change everything… they were right but not in the way they meant.”
“Pool of death” – England handed nightmare group in revised Rugby World Cup draw
The latest World Rugby Rankings reaffirm home how ridiculous the Pool Draw for the Rugby World Cup 2023 is.
Decided THREE years before the tournament, the pools for the tournament that starts in September seems extremely unbalanced.
World Rugby has already confirmed they will hold the pool draws for future Rugby World Cups at a later date, closer to the kick-off of upcoming tournaments.
This comes after criticism that the draws were taking place far too early, with world rankings at the time of the draw playing a crucial role in the teams’ seedings.
World Rugby will shake the pool draw up ahead of 2027, according to a report by the Mirror.
“World Rugby said it is able to make the change because of a new ‘hosting model’ that sees the international federation create collaborations with the host union,” the report read.
“The top of the men’s Test game has never been more competitive,” the spokesperson added. “There has never been so much movement over a two-year period.
“Bearing that in mind and noting the format of four pools of five teams, there is arguably no perfect time for a draw.”
As a result, the guys over at Eggchasers Rugby put together their own drawer the 2023 tournament based on the current World Rugby rankings.
Concentrating on only the top 10 countries in the world, it looks significant.
It was very different with England handed a much sterner test in their pool. Watch the full video here.
POOL A actual draw:
- France
- New Zealand
POOL A up to date draw
- France
- Australia