Sir Clive Woodward has urged England head coach Steve Borthwick to ditch the Smith-Farrell combination following the Calcutta Cup defeat.
Powerhouse speedster Duhan van der Merwe’s late try on Saturday gave Scotland back-to-back wins at Twickenham for the first time.
Borthwick’s England showed fight and contributed to an electrifying match, but they could not give their head coach victory in his first game in charge.
Woodward now believes that the Smith-Farrell combination must go for the game against Italy this coming weekend.
“England created opportunities, but the partnership between Smith and Owen Farrell is just not working,” wrote Woodward in his column for the Mail Online.
“I understand why they were picked as the 10-12 combination for this game because England lost three centres to injury.
“Scotland ran rings around England at 10, 12 and 13. Their centres Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones were outstanding and played outside a world-class talent in Finn Russell.
“England weren’t at that level in midfield. It was almost like watching Premiership backs against some from the Championship.
“I feel sorry for Farrell. He really is a world-class No 10 but isn’t at that level as an inside centre. Sunday’s match against Italy could be a chance to bring Manu Tuilagi back into the fold to try to get him firing as he hasn’t been at his best this season — though Borthwick will be wary after Italy so nearly shocked France yesterday.
“We still don’t know England’s best 10-12-13 combination and it is holding the team back.”
Sir Clive Woodward: England’s FOUR best players against Scotland
#1. Max Malins
A talented cricketer and hockey player, Malins decided to focus on rugby aged 18 and has seen his career flourish.
He played for England U18s in 2015 and a year later was part of the England U20 side who won the World Rugby Under 20 Championship in Manchester.
Comfortable at fly half, centre or full back, Malins made his Saracens debut in 2016 and was part of the squads that won trophies domestically and in Europe.
Malins made his England debut in November 2020 in their Autumn Nations Cup fixture against Georgia at Twickenham.
Woodward wrote: “Malins was outstanding in all areas and his two tries were the icing on the cake.”