#2. Alex Coles
Telegraph 5/10: “Mixed bag, summed up by a good carry before giving away a penalty in one attack.”
Replacement: Jack Willis at flanker with Maro Itoje moving into the second-row
Alex Coles facts:
- Coles played rugby as a child at Newmarket and Shelford Rugby Club prior to joining the academy of Northampton Saints at the age of fourteen
- He is the son of two vicars
- He is an undergraduate in politics, philosophy and history at Birkbeck College
#3. Marcus Smith
Rugby Pass 5/10: “Smith isn’t built for inclement weather and struggled to play his way into the game in the first 40. “
Replacement: Henry Slade with Owen Farrell moving to 10.
Marcus Smith facts:
- Born in the Philippines to a British father and a Filipina mother, Smith started playing rugby union at the age of seven for Centaurs RFC when his family moved to Singapore
- He moved to the United Kingdom at the age of thirteen and subsequently received a sports scholarship to attend Brighton College, where he captained the school’s 1st XV
- He started in the Premiership final against Exeter Chiefs on 26 June 2021 as Harlequins won the game 40–38 in the highest scoring Premiership final ever, which included four conversions from Smith’s boot