Former scrumhalf Matt Dawson says England need to break up the axis between Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell and instead field one of the two playmakers at flyhalf.
In his first Test as England head coach, Steve Borthwick backed the Smith-Farrell combination that was first implemented by predecessor Eddie Jones.
MORE: Borthwick blames Eddie for England’s woes
However, the call hardly paid off as England started their Six Nations campaign with a loss to Scotland, who pressured the hosts’ attack with an excellent rush defence.
Writing in his regular column for the BBC, Dawson said that Borthwick needs to make a decision and field either Smith or Farrell at flyhalf, rather than play the two of them together:
Farrell played at inside centre on Saturday, resuming his partnership with fly-half Marcus Smith, and as happened so often in 2022, the duo did not quite click.
I cannot see how that midfield is going to be a good enough threat to compete at the highest level going forward.
When you are a flyhalf playing at that sort of intensity against a rampant Scottish defence, you want other people to be crashing it up and making the carries to create the space for your next wave of attack, which will include you. Unfortunately that is not in Farrell’s skillset as a 12.
The problem is, with Farrell as captain, if Borthwick experiments in that area and drops his skipper as a result – that is going to be massive news.
I do not think people would have questioned it if he had not made Farrell captain in the first place and that is an unnecessary pressure Borthwick has put on himself.
I understand that Farrell brings a huge amount to the team. I am just not sure we should be asking him to play at 12 when he has been playing better at 10 for his club Saracens.
If you had either Farrell or Smith at 10 and more of a dominator at 12 who could distribute as a second thought, rather than Farrell distributing at first thought, then all of a sudden Joe Marchant comes into the game.
Borthwick might want that feel of having two 10s but then you have got to have ball-carriers to break the gainline.
England have an opportunity to bounce back when they host Italy on Sunday.
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