England boldly picks Marcus Smith at fullback against Fiji for Rugby World Cup quarterfinals

England’s head coach Steve Borthwick, centre, attends a training session at the Georges Carcassonne stadium in Aix-en-Provence, France, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. England will face Fiji on Sunday, Oct.15, 2023, in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals. England’s Marcus Smith scores a try during the Rugby World Cup Pool D match between England and Chile at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, outside Lille, Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023.

Smith, typically a flyhalf, was handed his first international start at No. 15 for the pool match against Chile in what was regarded as an experiment. England coach Steve Borthwick is going with the same ploy for his team’s biggest match of the tournament, with Freddie Steward — who has been a solid option at fullback for the past two years — not even making the matchday 23.

Steward is reliable under the high ball but that might not be important against Fiji, whose attacking game relies on its power runners and offloading more than up-and-unders and an aerial threat. That might explain Borthwick’s preference for Smith, who has more flair as a broken-field runner.

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