Coach Borthwick calls on Smith to light up the England attack against France after dropping Farrell

Steve Borthwick has told Marcus Smith to play to his strengths and light up England’s attack against France.

The head coach said he ‘trusted his instincts’ after making his biggest selection call yet by dropping his captain, Owen Farrell. Smith, the No 10, has been challenged to speed up the tempo against a giant France team.

Smith was released to play for Harlequins last weekend but forced his way back into the England reckoning with a dazzling man-of-the-match display.

‘Marcus played very well in that game,’ said Borthwick. ‘I’ve been pretty consistent in saying, I pick players for the strengths they bring to the team. Part of my job as coach is to build a framework.

‘But one of the things I’m inspiring to do here is to get the players to bring their strengths on to the pitch in an England shirt. We were ranked the slowest team in world rugby before the Six Nations and we want to speed up our game.

Owen Farrell has been dropped for England’s Six Nations match with France on Saturday

‘France kick the ball a long way and try to pin you back as far as they can, into your own 22. 

‘They are trying to force you into a mistake or to kick the ball loosely. As soon as you make a mistake, the power of their pack comes into play and the speed of their ball movement comes into play. 

‘We’ve got to keep our game quick because you can’t play slow against a team like this.’

Borthwick praised the reaction of Farrell after he was dropped from the starting XV for the first time in eight years.

Inaccurate goal-kicking was a factor but Borthwick, who made just one change to his team, insisted Farrell remains a key leader in the squad.

‘Every kicker has small dips and the great kickers always come back,’ said Borthwick. ‘The moment Owen steps on that pitch, he will be the captain of this team.

‘He’s a fantastic leader. If you were a fly on the wall this week, you would not be able to tell whether Owen was starting at 10 or was going to finish the game at 10 or at 12. His preparation has been incredible.’ 

The No 10 jersey remains the most debated position among England rugby circles, with George Ford also pushing for inclusion.

Smith gets the nod over Farrell at fly-half after impressing for Harlequins last weekend 

All three options offer a different approach but Borthwick insisted he will not be swayed by any public clamour. ‘You’ve got to do what you believe in,’ he said. ‘I think this is the right team and the right tactical plan for the game this weekend.

‘One thing I picked up very early on in my coaching career is that as a coach you have to be true to yourself. You can’t coach thinking about other peoples’ opinion of what you do.

‘If you were to track all the teams I’ve selected there have been some pretty bold decisions. I’ve tried to pick the right team for that game, I don’t consider how it will be perceived by the outside.

‘The players and supporters deserve that because every game matters for England.’