England fly half Marcus Smith took hold of the back-line for the latest Summer Tour, as he stepped up to lead the attack in the two match series against the All Blacks. However, Steve Borthwick’s side were unable to achieve a victory over New Zealand, with their 21-year search for a win over the All Blacks on home soil set to extend.
England came within a hairs width of a memorable win in Dunedin, as the first Test was decided by just a single point at the Forsyth Barr Stadium. New Zealand clinched a 16-15 win at the home of the Highlanders, with Marcus Smith’s missed kicks at the forefront of the fixture, along with Damian McKenzie’s timed out penalty attempt.
The second Test saw the All Blacks hit their revered top gear, and despite a solid performance from a young England side, New Zealand racked up the 24-17 win at Eden Park. The 30-year record of All Blacks dominance in Auckland continues, yet England’s last ditch drive for the try-line almost wrapped up a draw in the closing play of the game.
Marcus Smith expressed his disappointment in how a win evaded England in both Tests, but the Harlequin was undoubtedly proud of his side’s efforts in Aotearoa. Speaking in the post-match mix zone following England’s defeat at Eden Park, Smith said;
“We’re gutted, but very proud of the efforts in the last five or six weeks. I think we’ve built as a group from that Japan performance. It was close but no cigar last week and then this week, again, we knew it was a new challenge again with all the history here. But not once did I think about it in the week or not once did I doubt that we could or would get the job done. We’re bitterly disappointed with the result in the end but we can’t fault the boys’ efforts.’
“Yeah, at 60 minutes, being in that position – leading 17-13 – we need to learn how to close out games, potentially. But to get into that position with 15 (minutes) to go here at Eden Park, no-one outside the group believed that we could do it, but we believed it inside (the group). We grew in confidence as the tour progressed and I think we’re all chomping at the bit to get a shot at them again in the autumn.”
As Smith highlighted, England will have an opportunity to get a win over the All Blacks this Autumn, when New Zealand come up to Twickenham for a hotly anticipated International Test. Smith was amongst the 10-man group of players picked by Borthwick, that had never experienced a match against the All Blacks in New Zealand, and believes that his side is far stronger from gaining the experience this Summer.
“It is the start of a new cycle. Ideally, we win these games but to come so close in France and then twice here, which is a tough place to come… For many of us it’s been the first time we’ve travelled to New Zealand to play a Test match and I think we can take a lot of confidence and pride in the performances we’ve delivered. But there’s still plenty of growth in us.”
“If you look at the personnel in the group now, there are a lot of young guys making me feel very old! There’s a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of passion to play for England. That’s exactly the team I want to be part of and I’m so grateful and honoured to be part of this team.
“I’m so excited for the next 12 months. We’ve got four of the big names coming to our home this year – All Blacks first. We need to get them back. Hopefully, we have made the English people proud with our performances and hopefully they’ll be chomping at the bit to be at that game, to be our 16th man and help get us over the line.
“As a group, we deserve it for all our efforts, our work. Hopefully, with positive results, it will reinforce the journey we’ve be on and it’s all worth it. But for now, it’s bitterly disappointing to finish the season this way and the changing-room is pretty gutted.” “We will do our best to get a win at home.”
Smith was an essential linchpin for England this Summer, as the squad suffered an assortment of injuries in pivotal positions across the back-line. Initially, George Ford’s absence opened up the door for Marcus and Fin Smith to jostle over the 10 jersey, with the Harlequin getting the go-ahead to start on the tour.
However, an unfortunate back injury to fullback George Furbank caused the Northampton Saints man to sit out of the second Test. Furbank felt the effects of a barage of big hits, with Sevu Reece’s well-timed shots leaving a mark on the back-three flyer. Freddie Steward stepped in for the Eden Park match, but took a heavy shot from Ethan de Groot, that further thinned out the fullback ranks. The task was then bestowed upon Smith to return to fullback, for his first taste of the back-field since the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
“It’s been an amazing year. On a personal note, playing multiple positions and learning off guys how to be more effective at 15 and how to be more effective at 10 has been invaluable for my career. As a group, I’ve definitely seen growth in terms of our mind-set and in terms of our belief. For me, that is very exciting.”
Smith closed out the post-match discussion with a look at England’s execution rate in key areas. Borthwick’s men had the All Blacks pinned under pressure for the first 20 minutes of the second half, yet were only able to add three points to their tally on the score-board. With a need to elevate the urgency and nail the chances when they arise, Smith hopes for a more clinical England team when the All Blacks come to Twickenham in November.
“Yeah, when you’re 14-13 up, from a mind-set point of view, if that suddenly becomes 21-13 then it changes their state of mind. Obviously points are points but ideally we want to score tries. That is the progression we are seeing; we are trying to be braver and more aggressive with the ball and without the ball.
“If we get that 21-13 buffer, who knows what happens? That’s what we are striving for and on reflection that is probably something I will look back; that period from 50 to 65 minutes – how can we get that next try that puts the team to bed (?) and changes their state of mind.”