England Fans Fume Over One Player's Defensive Liability vs Ireland

Saturday, 01 February 2025 at 19:13

byRugby Rucker

England's Six Nations campaign got off to a bruising start in Dublin, with Marcus Smith's defence once again under the microscope following a tough outing against Ireland.

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The hosts struggled to find their rhythm early on, allowing England to take a deserved lead at the break thanks to a debut try from Cadan Murley.

However, Ireland found their stride in the second half, running in three tries through Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne, and returning hooker Dan Sheehan to secure a bonus-point victory in Simon Easterby’s first game as interim head coach.

The defeat marks England’s sixth loss in their last seven games under Steve Borthwick, with fans quick to point fingers at Smith’s defensive frailties.

"Marcus Smith isn’t gonna wanna see that again, and that’s the major question mark about him at 10 for the Lions. Defence," one fan wrote.

Another didn't hold back: "Marcus Smith FFS. Most overrated player in world rugby, can't tackle for toffee."

A third added: "England again suffering from the tactic of moving Marcus Smith out to the wing when they are out of possession. For all his undoubted talent, he’s a defensive liability at international level."

One fan summed up the frustration: "Not helped by a 10 that goes missing when the going gets tough. We’ll win nothing with Marcus Smith at 10 – overhyped."

With England set to host France next, the pressure is mounting on Borthwick to address the glaring issues in his side—Smith’s defence included.

England player ratings vs Ireland:

Ellis Genge - 7/10

Given the job of being a prominent carrier for an undersized England pack and put in some huge hits against a galloping Ireland pack that helped stem the flow when Ireland were on top in the first half. The loosehead was on the wrong end of a few decisions from referee Ben O’Keefe at scrum time and looked a bit tired in the second half.

Luke Cowan-Dickie - 7/10

The Exeter hooker,probably picked for his size, put it to good use as he carried hard and well with England's early pressure. The 31 year old added to the jackal threats across the English pack with a great turnover on their own line and did not stop fighting all evening

Will Stuart - 6/10

A relatively quiet evening for the Bath man around the park, got a bit of the edge at scrum time and hit hard in defence against some big Irish attackers contributing to a huge English defensive effort at times.

Maro Itoje - 7/10

First start as captain and in the first half he was back to his annoying best. Sam Prendergast was getting sick of looking up and seeing him in his sights straight away, he was also a nuisance at ruck time in a clear attempt to slow down the Irish ball. However, in the second half he got pinged with a few tight calls and struggled to rally his side to launch a response until the game had run away from them.

George Martin - 7/10

Tasked with providing the physical edge and size that the starting XV lacked, Martin found himself as a very willing carrier early and was smashing Irish forwards all evening. It’s a shame as it looked like it became a job too big for him in the second half but I do think it was more Ireland playing well than England falling off too much.

Tom Curry - 7/10

Picked alongside his brother in a speed over size backrow to hit Ireland’s backdown and that job was very much fulfilled. The Curry’s targeted every breakdown all evening and was also a jumper in the lineout, adding to his performance with a try late on.

Ben Curry - 8/10

What a performance from the openside, the Sale breakdown specialist was fighting for everything at the breakdown and was a real nuisance for Ireland when they had the ball. Whether that was tackling green mountains or slowing down Irish ball, Prendergast will be seeing him in his nightmares.

Ben Earl - 7/10

The Saracen’s man filled in at eight in a very lightweight and mobile back row but was his usual lively self and was everywhere early on. Him and the rest of his backrow typified the early pressure from England with some ferocious and energetic carrying and put pressure on the Irish attack all evening.

Alex Mitchell - 6/10

Came back from injury sustained with his club Northampton but looked lively with the ball in hand and kept the ruck speed high early on. However he soon missed a tackle against James Lowe for Ireland's first try and that set the tone for most of his defensive work, I do feel pity for him as Lowe seemed impossible to take down at times.

Marcus Smith - 5/10

There was a lot of talk beforehand about who was starting at 10 and early on it looked like that problem had been solved. Smith found gaps early on to either go through himself or put others through, threatening with quick ball and looked to play and explore in the first 20 or so minutes. However once he was sin binned for repeated penalties after being offside from a lineout he struggled to get back going again and found himself unable to get the England attack going again.

Cadan Murley - 5/10

The debutant scored England’s first try with some good speed to get on the end of a kick through and defended his wing well. However he struggled under the high ball though and didn’t let a ball run dead that he probably should have, looked like the pressure got to him at times but understandable because having your debut at the Aviva is no easy feat.

Henry Slade - 5/10

We had thought this centre pairing had been tried and tested and not really worked out but today we were shown otherwise. Playing most of his rugby at ten for Exeter this season Slade brought that playmaking ability to the floor, Spotting the space in behind for Cadan Murley’s try and putting in an inch perfect grubber through. His overall handling and defence was good but once again struggled to stem the Irish onslaught in the second 40.

Ollie Lawrence - 6/10

Looked really physical early on and marshalled Bundee Aki in the midfield battles really well, defending a lot at set piece in the 12 channel but like others he went quiet in the second half as the home team came alive.

Tommy Freeman - 6/10

Showcased his pace in flashes when England were on top but then wasn’t his usual hungry self in attack often sticking to his wing instead of looking for work as much and when he did he struggled to make a dent until his try late on where he shook off a couple of defenders.

Freddie Steward - 5/10

Was imperious under the high ball again but never got going in attack and was stepped far too easily for Gibson-Park’s try. He has shown glimpses of his talent around the pitch at club level but is yet to unlock it at test level.

REPLACEMENTS:

Theo Dan - 6/10

Fin Baxter - 6/10

Joe Heyes - 6/10

Ollie Chessum - 6/10

Chandler Cunningham-South - 6/10

Tom Willis - 6/10

Harry Randall - 6/10

Fin Smith - 6/10

You’ll have to be red-hot to get 15/15 in this 2010s Six Nations quiz

The Six Nations Championship, Europe’s premier rugby tournament, has delivered unforgettable moments and showcased some of the game’s greatest players.

From stunning tries to epic battles, the 2010s were packed with rugby brilliance.

Can you name the players who lit up the tournament during this golden decade? You’ll need to be on top form to get 15/15—are you up for the challenge? Let’s kick off!

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