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1 month ago
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Marcus Smith and Henry Slade have been dropped for England’s Six Nations game with Italy on Sunday with Steve Borthwick overhauling his backline in an effort to kickstart a spluttering attacking.
Elliot Daly is preferred at full-back while Fraser Dingwall comes into the side at inside centre as one of five starting Northampton backs. Jamie George has been recalled at hooker to make his first start since losing the captaincy on what will be his 100th appearance for England.
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It is quite the fall from grace for Smith, who started eight Tests in a row at fly-half before shifting. He was the brightest spark in attack during that sequence of matches but England managed victories over Japan and lost seven matches in a row against tier one opposition. As a result, Borthwick has come to favour the game management of Fin Smith, who has looked assured on his first two starts in the narrow victories over France and Scotland and continues in the role against Italy.
Borthwick had intended to build his side around Marcus Smith after the 2023 World Cup but a calf injury ensured he did not start any of the 2024 Six Nations matches. He was then entrusted with the No 10 jersey for last year’s summer tour of Japan and New Zealand but while he has shone, England’s attack has not fired collectively.
He first moved to full-back during the 2023 World Cup – a plan hatched by the assistant coach Kevin Sinfield – but while he can look dangerous from deep, Smith has yet to fully convince in the position. Only last week Sinfield was adamant that giving up on the experiment would be a waste, insisting that Smith could develop into a better full-back than he is fly-half but with Daly rewarded for impressive cameos off the bench in his past two outings, the Harlequins playmaker must make do with a place among the replacements.
Daly scored England’s winning try against France and though he has predominantly been used by Borthwick on the wing – most notably throughout the 2023 World Cup – he was a regular fixture at full-back under Eddie Jones. England spent last week’s training camp in York seeking to hone their attack with a particular focus on kick-returns and it is said Daly played a prominent role in that.
Slade drops out of the matchday squad with Dingwall earning his third cap. The Northampton centre won his first two caps in last year’s Six Nations against Italy and Wales but comes straight into the starting lineup to join forces with Ollie Lawrence. Slade and Lawrence have started 13 consecutive games together but their partnership has yet to fully flourish.
Dingwall’s selection means another Northampton player in the backline alongside Fin Smith, the scrum-half, Alex Mitchell, and the wingers, Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme, with Borthwick valuing the cohesion that such familiarity brings. With the 9-10-12 combination all occupied by Saints players, he will be hoping for significant attacking improvements.
George comes in for Luke Cowan-Dickie, having on Tuesday revealed how he questioned his England future after he was stripped of the captaincy on the eve of the Six Nations. There is a place on the bench for the Leicester scrum-half Jack van Poortvlietthat has a 6-2 split.
