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#Post#: 120883--------------------------------------------------
This was a passing of the flame: Marcus Smith made George Ford
look like a man out of time
DIR By: deadlyfrom5yardsout
Date: March 10, 2024, 3:11 am
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England have been in limbo since Owen Farrell’s decision to step
away. Now the question of Smith or Ford has been firmly put to
bed
Daily Telegraph
9 March 2024 • 8:10pm
Oliver Brown
These are the moments that define careers and for Marcus Smith
the memories of a staggering denouement to this Test will be
indelible. The roar when he stroked over the decisive drop-goal
was primal, as he ended the identity crisis of this England team
in an instant. It was a flourish befitting a wonderfully
theatrical talent, who illustrated more convincingly than ever
than he was poised to make the No 10 jersey his own. On a day
when George Ford toiled, there was the inescapable sense of a
passing of the flame.
In an unusual gesture, Smith gave his match-winning shorts to a
fan at the final whistle, vaulting back over the advertising
hoardings in patriotic red-and-white underwear. Clearly, his
reputation for flashiness is well-earned.
He insisted he did not want to monopolise the plaudits. And with
good reason, given a totemic display by Ben Earl in particular.
He thanked the forwards for putting England on the front foot,
he credited George Furbank’s outstanding energy at full-back,
and he emphasised the electricity of centres Ollie Lawrence and
Henry Slade. But Smith has a seemingly effortless capacity to
transform himself into the headline act. From the second he
replaced the struggling Ford, Twickenham lifted, the murmurs of
grim acceptance of England’s fate giving way to genuine
exhilaration that this was a game they could rescue at the
death.
So it proved, as Jack Crowley’s botched conversion attempt for
Ireland set up a frantic, unforgettable finale. All Ireland
needed to do was to capitalise on a line-out inside their own
22, and surely victory was theirs. Except England had other
plans. Down to 14 men after an injury to Chandler
Cunningham-Smith, they could not afford to be anything but
precise. Sniping down the blindside to win a penalty, they
established the platform for Smith to finish matters in his own
way. He duly obliged, conjuring a flourish that was as powerful
a catharsis as England have enjoyed in recent history.
Too many of their Six Nations campaigns of late have been strewn
with horror. But with Smith side-stepping gloriously into the
limelight, they flipped the narrative this time, orchestrating
arguably their most impressive all-round performance since the
World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand 4½ years ago. It truly
was this momentous, with England recognising the grisly
implications of loss and resolving to script a different ending.
Even Andy Farrell acknowledged that England deserved this
result, achieved through the application of unrelenting
pressure. Danny Care could hardly have wished for a more rousing
exclamation mark with which to toast his 100th cap. In his 14
years in the national set-up, Care has seen his share of peaks
and valleys, but seldom has the joy of triumph been so
exquisite. Jamie George, the captain who has drawn so much
doubt, could not keep the smile off his face either. “We had
known something special was coming with this group,” he said.
“We talked about making Twickenham great again. How good is
this?”
To think, Smith had come back from injury to produce the
all-important kick. For five weeks he had been on the periphery,
not knowing whether injury had condemned him to a casting as
Ford’s long-term understudy. You could say he took his cue to
perfection. Handed a little over 20 minutes to put his stamp on
this Test, he did so with gusto, making one brilliant break en
route to Earl’s try and then delivering with the boot when it
counted most.
Smith reflected how “excited” he had been to see England gaining
an advantage in the wide channels as the clock ticked down. With
the forwards driving remorselessly on, he found himself in the
range to put his drop-goal practice to good use. He has been
refining his technique assiduously of late, and it showed.
Unlike with Ford, whose earlier effort had been easily charged
down by Ireland, Smith would not be thwarted. This was England’s
seventh drop-goal since the beginning of the last World Cup, but
none have carried such potentially lasting significance.
England have been in limbo since Owen Farrell’s decision to step
away from international duty, with Borthwick torn between Ford
and Smith. This was a day to put an end to the dilemma. No
sooner did Ford miss his third kick with a horrible shank than
the cameras zoomed in on Farrell, the man whom he succeeded,
watching inscrutably from the stands. Television producers can
be cruel sometimes. Mind you, even Mako Vunipola, the 19-stone
prop sitting alongside the absent England captain, might have
offered a more convincing performance from the tee than this.
It was unforgivable for a starting No 10 at this level to be
guilty of three missed kicks in 50 minutes. So acute were Ford’s
struggles that the groans around Twickenham became audible. Then
came the cheers when Borthwick, having seen enough, chose to
replace him with Smith before the hour elapsed. It felt palpably
here as if you had England’s past, present and future at
fly-half in the building together. Farrell was the relic, and
Smith the vibrant force around whom the team could rebuild. The
error-prone Ford, who at 30 is five years Smith’s senior, looked
increasingly like a man out of time. Smith, in the starkest
contrast, appeared as though he had the world at his feet.
#Post#: 120884--------------------------------------------------
Re: This was a passing of the flame: Marcus Smith made George
Ford look like a man out of time
DIR By: Rocker
Date: March 10, 2024, 3:18 am
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Bit harsh on Ford....
#Post#: 120888--------------------------------------------------
Re: This was a passing of the flame: Marcus Smith made George
Ford look like a man out of time
DIR By: Sketchley
Date: March 10, 2024, 5:38 am
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Borthwick will still pick Ford to start against France. I would
bet against Smith starting at full back.
#Post#: 120889--------------------------------------------------
Re: This was a passing of the flame: Marcus Smith made George
Ford look like a man out of time
DIR By: MaidstoneQuin
Date: March 10, 2024, 6:03 am
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Ford is OK but he has no X factor and be showed yesterday he’s a
very average kicker, which is fine, but he needs to make up for
it elsewhere and he simply dosent.
#Post#: 120890--------------------------------------------------
Re: This was a passing of the flame: Marcus Smith made George
Ford look like a man out of time
DIR By: T-Bone
Date: March 10, 2024, 8:29 am
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Can't help but feel this is slightly over the top
#Post#: 120891--------------------------------------------------
Re: This was a passing of the flame: Marcus Smith made George
Ford look like a man out of time
DIR By: BedfordshireBoy
Date: March 10, 2024, 8:32 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Sketchley link ---
>
> Borthwick will still pick Ford to start against France. I
would bet against Smith starting at full back.
>
--- End Quote ---
Disagree, Smith is an odds on starter in my book (not that that
amounts to much).
#Post#: 120893--------------------------------------------------
Re: This was a passing of the flame: Marcus Smith made George
Ford look like a man out of time
DIR By: poorfour
Date: March 10, 2024, 10:20 am
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--- Quote from: Sketchley link ---
>
> Borthwick will still pick Ford to start against France. I
would bet against Smith starting at full back.
>
--- End Quote ---
I seriously doubt it. Ford has looked off the pace for a few
games now, possibly because the attacking system is set up in a
way that suits Marcus better.
It made sense to bench Smith for his first game back, but
against France I would expect him start
#Post#: 120899--------------------------------------------------
Re: This was a passing of the flame: Marcus Smith made George
Ford look like a man out of time
DIR By: RodneyRegis
Date: March 10, 2024, 3:35 pm
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Ford has always taken ages to get back to form after an injury.
He was really bad for sale in Europe a couple of weeks before
the tournament started. I don't think he's that great for sale,
not the best fit. So fed up of hearing about spiral bombs.
We all know Marcus is the answer.
#Post#: 120900--------------------------------------------------
Re: This was a passing of the flame: Marcus Smith made George
Ford look like a man out of time
DIR By: Bod
Date: March 10, 2024, 4:22 pm
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I've never thought Ford of International standard
Should never have worn the shirt
Daddy helped I guess?
Same old RFU eh?
#Post#: 120904--------------------------------------------------
Re: This was a passing of the flame: Marcus Smith made George
Ford look like a man out of time
DIR By: Keith Jenner
Date: March 10, 2024, 6:49 pm
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I like how the author was so excited about Marcus that he
renamed Chandler Cunningham-South in his honour.
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